Embarrassing Apologies
by SpyralHax
Summary: Sequel to Romantic Advice. Aang and his buddies tag along when Zuko goes to make his personal apologies to the people he personally hurt most in the Earth Kingdom. No pairings per se, but cute moments held within, and Zuko getting embarrassed naturally.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 01: Zuko's Longest Day**

**Rating: K**

**This chapter is the first of 4 or 5, not sure how it goes yet. This one is the setup for Zuko's first embarrassing apology, with the girl from Ba Sing Se, Jin. I started liking it more as I got to the end of it, so I am really excited to get to the next chapter. Hope you enjoy the slight buildup, even though I'm not as comfortable with this one as I was witht the origin story, so let me know how it came out. Enjoy.

* * *

**

"So, are you ready, Zuko?" Katara asked sweetly, hand in hand with her boyfriend as they re-entered the comfortable teashop. Everyone looked at her with the utmost curiosity, brows raised at the quirky grins adorning her and Aang's faces.

"Ready for what?" he asked, having a sinking feeling that he knew what she was talking about. Ever since he had opened up to Sokka about his fears and troubles so many weeks ago, he had been dreading the day that they would all stick their noses in, and force the matter.

"Come on, you can't tell me you forgot," she snapped back, hands resting on her hips, the green fabric of her fine silken dress swaying gently as she leaned forward towards the young Fire Lord.

"Forgot what, Zuko?" Mai asked, a distinct tone of suspicion on her voice as she glared daggers at the young man. Turning his golden gaze to the black haired young woman, he winced a bit in fear, fixed in place by the cold, icy stare.

"I-it's nothing, Mai. I have no idea what she is talking about," Zuko responded, placing his hands up defensively as he tried to speak, his tone making him seem even more guilty in the girl's eyes. A deafening silence filled the room, each person trying to figure out what was going on between Zuko and Katara, and why Aang didn't seem upset about it.

"Oh, that's right!" Sokka shouted after a few moments of thought, shooting up from his position behind the large table. The others tensed up in surprise, listening as the exuberant young man's drawing instruments clacked on the marble floor of the teashop.

"What is it, Sokka?" Suki asked, leaning up against a wall near where she had been playing Mai at pai-sho, hand pressed to her chest as she tried to calm down following Sokka's sudden outburst.

"Remember a few weeks ago, after Zuko and Katara ran off together?" he asked vaguely, earning Zuko another death glare from his girlfriend, to which he simply shook his head, offering the explanation at a later time.

"Kinda. What does that have to do with this?" Suki admitted, closing her eyes as she tried to think about what could be going on. Iroh, for his part, looked teasingly at his nephew, nudging the younger boy in the side with a playful elbow.

"When we were talking later that night…" Sokka continued to explain, his lips curling into a mischievous grin, one that caused Zuko's blood to chill a few degrees as it flowed through his veins.

"Ah, you mean when he was spilling his guts about all his miserable luck with girls in the Earth Kingdom?" Toph teased, smiling wide as she felt the tension emanating from the Fire Lord, his forehead being smacked by his right palm as he tried to will himself out of his predicament.

"What the heck are they talking about, Zuko?" Mai asked, the same suspicion and anger mixed with a faint glimmer of hurt and sadness. Zuko glanced to the raven haired girl, smiling at the silent show of emotions in the girl's eyes.

"It's nothing like that Mai, I promise," he said honestly, roughly pushing his uncle's elbow from its position on his side. Mai's lips fixed into a weak smile as she watched the honest glow in the boy's eyes.

"So then what are they talking about, Zuko?" she asked hesitantly, yet directly. The boy took a deep breath before continuing his explanation to his girlfriend.

"A while ago, I had a little trouble sleeping, after being reminded of the person I used to be. It wasn't pleasant at all, and it brought back all the bad memories from my time in the Earth Kingdom," he began, casting a regretful look sideways to his uncle. The jolly old man's face showed his solemn understanding of Zuko's situation, if not of all the details that might be involved.

"Zuko…" Mai whispered, placing her hand on his scarred cheek, rubbing it reassuringly with a smile on her lips. "It's all in the past, Zuko. Whatever you did, I think you've more than made up for it, what with stopping the war and all," she reasoned, earning a sad sort of smile from the young man.

"It's nothing like that, Mai. It's… there's people I hurt all on my own, and I have to make things right with them before I can finally put it behind me, once and for all," he said, gazing into the light skinned girl's eyes as he did, hoping she wouldn't get too upset at his first destination.

"So, what, you're going to go on some kind of boring, embarrassing apology tour of the Earth Kingdom?" the girl said, half jokingly.

"Well, I wouldn't have put it like that but, yeah, something like that," he sighed, running his fingers through the messy black locks of his hair.

"Where are you heading first? And, are these guys all going with you?" Mai said sarcastically, mixed feelings rolling in her mind about the prospect of Zuko disappearing on some emotional quest for self fulfillment.

"Actually, it's someone in the city…" Zuko began, shooting warning glances to the teens of the Avatar's group as they imagined the older boy's "teary apology" to the little Earth Kingdom girl.

"You're kidding me. It better not be…" Mai began, feeling her dark, gloomy aura return in full force at the memory of the bubbly brunette she had encountered with Zuko after the fall of Ba Sing Se.

"Yeah. Jin," he answered weakly, his eyes subconsciously closing as he prepared for some yelling, and maybe something to be thrown in his direction. Instead, his ears perked at the rough grating of chair legs against marble.

"Just don't be out too late," Mai said as she slipped out of the comfortable shop, leaving the teens of Team Avatar and Iroh to look from the opened door to the young Fire Lord, looks of near apology and pain on their faces.

"That could have gone better…" Zuko muttered, clutching at his hair with both hands, silently cursing how stupid he had been for opening up to Sokka so many weeks ago, and having it come back to bite him now of all times.

"Do not worry, nephew. I will keep Lady Mai company until you return. Give Miss Jin my regards," Iroh said jovially, smiling wide as he slipped into the back room to prepare some tea for his trip to Mai's temporary residence.

"Thanks, Uncle," Zuko said in thanks, smiling as he watched the old man mill about in the back, soon followed by the soft scent of tea. After a while, the jolly old man ambled out of the shop, leaving the teen heroes alone in the fancy shop.

"That's nice of your uncle," Aang said, smiling as he felt the more calm atmosphere in the room.

"Sounds just like Iroh," Toph said, feeling a smile tug at her own lips with the way that the old Fire Nation general had lifted the mood of his overly emotional nephew with such a simple gesture.

"Yeah. He's a great guy. So, we ready to see Zuko's horrific mistake?" Sokka teased, joining the others in smiling as they looked to the teen in question.

"Ugh. I'm going to kill you one of these days," Zuko gruffed, his teeth grinding together in his frustration with the situation.

"I'd be careful, Sokka. I think he just might do it," Katara joked, her brother giving her a fearful look, as though asking silently for her protection.

"Can we just get this over with?" Zuko said roughly, moving towards the front of the establishment, silently hoping the others would not accompany him on this particular errand.

"So, any ideas on how to find this girl? Ba Sing Se isn't exactly the smallest city in the world, you know," Toph pointed out, Zuko's shoulders drooping as that bit of information planted itself in his mind.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that," he said in exasperation, not enjoying the prospect of doing this over the course of multiple days. He leaned against the inside of the doorframe for a moment, thinking of ways to find the young girl.

"We could just put a message out, or drop flyers asking Jin to come to the Jasmine Dragon," Sokka suggested, Zuko's cold stare indicating that such a plan was not an option even as a last resort.

"Do you know where she lives?" Katara asked, wanting to offer some help to Zuko, even if in some small degree, for all the help he had given her in his brief stint in their group.

"All I know is that she always came to the teashop where we worked, in the Lower Ring," Zuko said somewhat sadly, recalling again the way he had left on their date so long ago, how hurt she must have been afterwards.

"The Lower Ring!?" Sokka groaned, a fresh frustration obvious in his voice as he nearly collapsed against the broad table he had taken to resting against. His dark green robe cascaded over the surface, fanning out around his still slender arms as they cushioned his head from banging on the hard surface.

"What's his problem?" Zuko asked, wondering what was so surprising about the Lower Ring.

"Well, he's probably just shocked that you had a thing for a commoner of such low birth, plus, the Lower Ring is where most of the refugees live, so it's really crowded," Katara responded, her lips knit together in a concerned, focused expression.

"Now that you mention it, that place was pretty dirty and crowded," the scarred teen said, remembering his first reaction to seeing the dirty masses of people, seemingly all packed one atop another.

"You better think of something easier, because we are not just walking around there all day," Toph said sternly, her green trimmed yellow dress falling lightly around her ankles as she stood, pointing directly at the older boy.

"You guys don't even have to come!" Zuko snapped back, feeling the heat burning in his cheeks. The brown material of his kimono rustled as he turned towards the occasionally annoying earth bender. He was not keen on the idea of it himself, but if it meant getting it over with that much sooner, he would spend the whole day wandering around the Lower Ring.

"Come on, Zuko, you must have some better idea of how we can find her," Aang said, motioning for peace as he stood between the fire and earth benders, silently fearing the need for playing peacemaker between the combustible teens. Zuko returned to his position near the doorframe, golden eyes closed as he tried to think.

"Wait, you said she would always come into the teashop where you worked, right?" Suki said, Zuko's eyes flashing open in realization.

"Yeah. I bet she still goes there, so that's the best bet to check," Zuko admitted, a surprisingly warm smile crossing his lips at the thought of the young girl.

"So then what are we waiting for? I want to see this girl for myself," Sokka said, revealing his true intentions for tagging along.

"What do you mean by that?" Zuko asked the younger boy, stopping him dead in his tracks, one foot out the door before his body froze.

"Well, uh, I was just, um, wondering what kind of girls they might be, is all," the dark skinned boy stuttered a bit, pulling the other foot out the door before turning stiffly towards the gloomy Fire Lord.

"Ugh, I knew this was a bad idea," Zuko said roughly, making his way through the door, past the shivering Water Tribesman. The others followed suit, each passing right by the boy before Suki dragged him along.

"Idiot…" she mumbled, her light green sleeve swaying as she moved, the silky fabric brushing against her slender frame.

"Hey, I can walk on my own, and you're gonna mess up this fine robe," Sokka complained, earning a warning look from his auburn haired girlfriend. The girl let her grip loosen, the boy's head banging harshly against the stone of the ground. After rubbing it for a moment, Sokka rushed to catch up, not wanting to miss the sight of Zuko apologizing to what he assumed would be a horribly disfigured young lady.

As they made their way deeper into the city, the group came closer together, watching as the bright, cheery atmosphere of the Upper Ring gave way to the dimmer, more depressing air around the Lower Ring. Fancy gowns of silk and linens gave way to rags, tattered clothing patched with whatever scraps could be gathered.

"Oh my god, you actually lived here?" Katara asked, wincing as she briefly met eye with a shady individual. She was thankful at least that the entire group was with her, glad that such a group would dissuade any would be pick pockets.

"Yeah, we did. It wasn't much, but when you're on the run from your own sister, any place can be like a piece of heaven," he said sadly, his anger mixing with a brotherly concern for the misguided soul who had served as his tormentor for so long in his youth.

"I'm sorry, Zuko," the brunette water bender said, clutching at Aang's hand for comfort, not knowing just what conditions Zuko had been through in his time among the Earth Kingdom commoners.

"This place is pretty rough, but I think you're the only one who could handle it," Sokka said, stroking his chin as he praised the older boy, figuring that there would be probably one other person in the group at home among these elements.

"Are you kidding? This place seems like heaven compared to the Upper Ring," Toph said, adding her two cents to the conversation. Sokka rolled his eyes, figuring that if there was one place in the city that might appeal to the girl, it would have been the seedier aspects, given that she was not one to back down from a fight.

"But everything's so… dirty," Katara said, her lips falling into a frown at the sight of all the poor people around. The group looked around as they walked, each wanting to do something for the people of the city.

"That's why I hated it here. It made me really miss home that much more," Zuko said grimly, stopping as he pulled up to a small, cozy looking teashop. The others gathered around, looking up at the sign.

"Pao's Family Teashop?" Sokka said, looking around the front of the edifice, wondering if there was maybe more to the shop than its small size indicated. As Zuko reached for the single door, he felt a moment's hesitation.

"What's wrong, Princess? Scared?" Toph teased, not wanting to be too harsh on the young man, knowing how difficult face to face apologies could be. At least, for anyone but Sokka.

"No…" he lied, his hand twitching just a bit against the doorknob. He was so nervous, more nervous than he figured he should be for something so simple. He was the Fire Lord, he was used to meeting foreign dignitaries and dealing with all sorts of people. Yet, here in Ba Sing Se, he found himself oddly terrified to face the young girl who had shown so much kindness to a poor refugee.

"It's okay Zuko. Sokka promises he won't tease you or anything, _right_ Sokka?" Katara said, turning an icy stare on her older brother with a hand resting on Zuko's right shoulder.

"I p-promise," Sokka mumbled, anxious to see the girl already, so he could tease Zuko about it once Katara was gone. After another moment's hesitation, Zuko slipped open the door, his eyes squinting as he looked over the small group of patrons in the small shop, inwardly sighing in relief at not finding the girl.

"So, is she in there?" Aang asked, peeking his head inside, followed soon after by those of the others. A few curious gazes were directed their way before the owner excitedly made his way to the young Fire Lord.

"Oh, well, if it isn't Lee. It has been forever since I saw you. Don't tell me, your uncle is considering coming back to work for us here?" the old man asked excitedly, hands rubbing together beneath his chin as he thought of the possibility.

"No, sorry," Zuko responded, watching the man's excited smile fade, dropping into one of depression.

"Oh. So, what can I do for you today?" he asked, using his best sales voice as he smiled at the group of teenagers.

"Actually, I'm looking for someone," Zuko admitted, leading the others into the small shop. The owner guided them to a single large table, bowing politely as they sat down at their respective seats.

"Oh. That is quite a coincidence. A young lady has been here asking about you off and on for the last few weeks. She seems quite taken with you, and was sad to hear that you had moved on," Pao said, his heart going out to the young girl.

"When was the last time she came in here?" Sokka asked, leaning against his elbow as he raised an inquisitive brow towards the older man.

"Well, she comes in every day, I think hoping to catch a glimpse of Lee here," the old man said, stroking his thin moustache as a smile crossed his lips. Sokka leered at the Fire Lord, who had his head resting against the surface of the table.

"Ugh, this is bad," Zuko muttered, his hands clasping together on the back of his head, again trying to somehow affect the universe so that this ordeal would be concluded.

"Now, I'm sure she's over you by now, so no need to worry," Sokka tried calming the older boy.

"Lee!?" the gang's attention was shifted to the front door as it swung open, a torrent of sunlight pouring in around a shaded figure. Zuko's golden eyes shot open as he turned his head towards the girl, her voice bringing back all the memories. All the feelings of confusion and anger and frustration.

The girl quickly made her way into the teashop, he green robes swishing gently as she walked. Small yet sure footsteps rang in Toph's "vision", giving her as good a look at the girl as she could manage.

"Well, Sokka, I guess you were wrong," Toph teased, noticing the surprised feeling throughout the warrior's body.

"Damn…" the boy muttered, his blue eyes locking on the brunette as she approached the group, coming to a stop just behind Zuko. A pair of brown braids hung over either shoulder, soft strands hanging loosely around her face.

"Uh, Jin, um, hi, how are you, uh doing?" Zuko asked, cursing himself for tripping over his words so horribly in front of everyone. The girl smiled as he stood up, nearly tripping over the bench as he did. Jin reached forward, bracing the boy's chest to keep him upright, a warm smile on her face that seemed to melt his very soul.

"I'm good. So, who are your friends? More circus performers?" a loud smack of a palm against forehead joined with the laughter of his group of friends, and he wished he had come up with a better lie. Azula was always so much better at it.

"Circus performer, huh?" Katara teased between giggles, amused at the thought of Zuko performing any kind of act in front of a crowd. Replacing the palm with a pair of fingers, the young Fire Lord tried to calm himself down, rubbing at his temples firmly.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Next time we get the sweet Jinko moment, even though it won't become the pairing for this one. Mai will definitely tag along with the next round of apologies, to keep Zuko in check, but for now, it will just be the cute Jinko. I am really really liking that pairing the last couple of days, and I am currently planning a Jinko fic based on the comic 'Going Home'. The whole Maiko relationship feels a little forced to me (tell me if I am wrong, but they seem to just have all of a sudden decided that Zuko liked Mai when they were kids), so it will never gel for me. Anyway, look forward to the second part of this hopefully tomorrow (hopefully). Plans as of right now are for 2 parts with Jin then 2 parts with Song and maybe one with Lee (or have it wrap into the Song part). Comments welcome as always. Until next time.  
**

**Also, a side note. I did a random search for my penname at Google, and I apparently have an article at FanHistory. Not sure if that is a big deal or not, but it kind of freaked me out a bit ^_^;;  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 02: Fire Under Moonlight**

**Rating: K**

**The nice Jinko moment. My first attempt at it, so any thoughts on how it came out are appreciated. This chapter is almost 100% Jinko, with a little bit of the gang teasing him over things. They are not very nice to poor Zuko. Again, thoughts on how it came out are appreciated. That said, enjoy the Jinko.

* * *

**

"So, Jin, right? Why don't you take a seat?" Katara offered, scooting a little closer to Aang, revealing a seat near the edge of the small bench she and the others occupied. The girl nodded gently, smiling as she scooted next to the darker skinned girl.

"Thanks, uh…?" she said somewhat nervously, not entirely comfortable around the group of teenagers. Despite wanting to listen in on the seemingly interesting conversation, the old man who ran the small shop disappeared into the back area, mumbling something about the kids being able to pay.

"Oh, my name's Katara. _Lee_ has told us a lot about you," the water bender said, emphasizing the alias for the Fire Lord in a teasing manner. The rough young man echoed a low growl, his lips pressed firmly together in a tight frown that made Suki and Katara giggle just a bit.

"He has?" Jin asked somewhat nervously, a faint blush on her cheeks as her emerald eyes fell on the boy she had met so many weeks, so many months earlier. The boy to whom she had given her first kiss, and unknown to her, his first.

"Oh, yeah. He talks about you all the time. It's almost sickening," Toph lied, not bothering to hide the smirk at the tension she felt in the fire bender, his feet tapping loudly on the floor beneath them.

"Really? That's so sweet," the Earth kingdom girl said simply, Zuko averting his golden eyes as he saw her lips curl into that smile that had haunted his occasional sleepless nights. The smile that made him feel just a little weaker in both body and mind, one that just broke through his internal defenses.

"It's nothing," he muttered in return, his eyes suddenly finding the brown tabletop extremely interesting. He felt a momentary relief as Pao appeared from the back, a tray full of steaming 'hot leaf juice', as his uncle had put it. He bowed politely as the dark haired old man set the cups in front of the teens, before excusing himself.

"Wait, did you say your name is Katara?"

"Uh, yes?" the water bender answered nervously, her brows quirking slightly upward at the sparkle in the young girl's eyes.

"Then, you must be the Avatar!" the brunette exclaimed excitedly, clasping her hands together against her chest, the bald boy blushing at the murmurs from the other patrons of the small teashop.

"Yeah, he is, but we're just here to relax, so try not to make a big deal of it, okay?" Katara whispered into the other girl's ear, who nodded excitedly, her smile impossibly wide as she realized who she was sitting with.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's just so exciting. I mean, you stopped the war, and defeated the Fire Lord," the girl paused, a small shudder passing over her at the thought of the horrible monster who was responsible for so much suffering. "It was so terrifying, the day the Fire Nation took over the city. To see the tanks and soldiers roaming the streets," Jin said, her excitement fading as she played the scene back in her mind. Her bright, green eyes faded a bit, drifting to the table in front of her.

"I'm sorry," Zuko muttered carefully, the guilt tweaking him over the mistakes he had made that day. It was one of his biggest regrets, the way he had betrayed his uncle in favor of his lying, manipulative sister.

"What are you sorry for, Lee?" the girl asked curiously, her mood picking up a bit as she gazed at the mess of black hair atop the boy's head.

"Oh, uh, I was just saying that it must have been hard to deal with that," he said, almost forgetting the group of teens that had accompanied him on this particular errand.

"What are you talking about? You were there too," the girl said, giggling a bit at the serious boy's little slip of mindlessness. Zuko took a nervous sip of the horrible tasting liquid, wishing he had a calming cup of his uncle's tea to drink.

"Ah, yeah, I forgot," he said, blushing faintly at being put on the spot like that. The soft chuckles of amusement from the 'peanut gallery' tweaked his annoyance, the air around him heating up a bit with his tension.

"That's a weird thing to forget. You never told us you were here during the fall of Ba Sing Se, _Lee_," Suki joined in the teasing, her smirk matching that of her boyfriend at the grinding of teeth from the fire bender.

Zuko sat there, not wanting to say anything lest he simply blow up at his group of friends. It was not surprising that they were giving him a hard time, but he wondered if they realized how difficult they were making it for him to gather the courage to apologize to the girl.

"Well, it's not surprising. It must have been terribly traumatic after all," Toph joked, snickering as the tension in the moody fire bender increased yet again. All in the group save for Aang were delighting in the seeming humiliation of the Fire Lord, making note of the nervous way he looked at the brunette from the Earth Kingdom.

The group noticed, between jabs at Zuko, that Sokka was being oddly quiet. Looking to the dark skinned boy, eyes narrowed in suspicion and annoyance. His blue eyes kept on the young girl, a dreamy smile on his face. With a huff of annoyance, Suki made sure to nudge the boy slightly, bringing his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Oww, what was that for?" he asked, rubbing the suddenly sore spot on his left side, a harsh tenderness from the Kyoshi Warrior's elbow.

"For letting your tongue hang out of your mouth," Suki whispered dangerously in the boy's ear, her tone promising a hurting if he kept ogling the girl. Sokka winced at the dangerous tone, nodding weakly as he forced his gaze away from the green clad young woman.

"So, Jin, how did you and Lee meet?" Katara asked, deciding to ignore the idiotic actions of her brother. The brunette blushed a bit as she recalled the event, a tone shared by the annoyed Fire Lord.

"Well, I'm sure you don't want to hear such a silly story," she said, a shy smile crossing her lips as she realized how silly it would be to put words to it.

"Aww, come on, he's told us about it, but I'd like to hear your side of it," the water bender pressed on, ignoring Zuko's facial expression that screamed 'leave it alone'.

"It's just, I saw him one day when I came for some tea, and I thought he was… cute," the girl said shyly, earning a slightly darker blush from the fire bender. His eyes flashed open a bit wider, not ready to have heard such a thing. In all the time he had spent with Mai, it was rare that he got a compliment, and he was not sure he had ever heard such a word ascribed to his appearance.

"You weren't put off by the scar?" Sokka asked curiously, joining the others in listening to the brief recount of the events that led to their current situation.

"Well, it's certainly… noticeable, but it's more than that," she continued, her smile turning more calm and warm.

"More than that?" Aang asked innocently, Zuko focusing on the girl in front of him, curious as to what she would say next.

"It's hard to describe. He always looked so serious, and angry, but I just knew there was a good guy under it all," she said, taking note of the lack of surprise on the faces of the small group.

"Sounds like him, for sure. At least, the serious, angry part," Sokka said with a grin on his face, blue eyes closing as he leaned against the nearby wall. Subtle nods of agreement from the others brought back memories for the young man, memories of an almost entirely different person.

"He's a little awkward, and really shy," the brunette continued, nearly bursting into a giggle at the memory of when he had produced the coupon for free tea, "but he really is sweet inside, even if it seems like his mind is elsewhere at times."

The teens in the group felt themselves smiling at the girl's recollection of the young man, her warmth affecting all of them as she spoke. Zuko was trying to gather up the courage to make his apology, realizing that it would be almost impossible with the rest of the gang around.

But he let himself smile as he realized that they were all getting along, that they seemed to like the girl. He silently marked to himself that she seemed really happy, enhancing his opinion that she was better off without him.

"So, Lee, how is your friend Mai? Are you two still in the circus?" the girl asked, a tone of almost hope in her voice as she glanced carefully at the scarred young man.

"Oh, uh she's great. We are not really with the circus anymore, since the war ended," Zuko said, frustrated that he was still playing along with the lie that he had told her all those weeks ago.

"That's a shame. I would have liked to see your juggling act," Jin said, a giggle escaping her soft lips as she remembered the one other time she had seen him try to juggle. Zuko as well remembered the "demonstration", his ears burning red at the memory of failure.

"Hey, why not give us a little demonstration now, Lee?" Sokka suggested, snickering at the hot gaze from the fire bender. He thought for a moment that the teen might just burn him with his eyes, but decided it would be worth it to annoy the older boy.

"Yeah, that sounds like lots of fun," Katara added, accompanied by the rest of the group spurring the young man on.

"It's a shame, but there's nothing to juggle," Zuko said, relieved at the lack of materials.

"That's no problem. Why not just use these little tea cups?" Toph said, tossing her emptied cup to the older boy. Sokka likewise handed his over, before focusing intently on the young man. Zuko felt himself begin to tense up under the intense gazes, hoping for some last minute inspiration to get him out of it. It was bad enough that he had embarrassed himself in front of Jin alone, but he would never hear the end of it if he failed in front of the whole group.

"Come on, Lee, let's see you juggle," Katara said, cheering the boy on enthusiastically with an amused smile on her face. An idea came to Zuko as he gazed into the emerald green eyes of the young Earth Kingdom. Reaching beneath the table, he saw her eyes flash open as he grasped her hand, trying to communicate his idea without words.

The girl seemed to get the idea, smiling with a gentle nod as she felt his warm hand encompass her own. She noted to herself how large and soothing it felt against her skin, how warm it was.

Counting in his head, Zuko nodded his head carefully, a smirk crossing his lips as he neared the end of his mental countdown. The others looked at him curiously, wondering what he was thinking.

"Now!" he said loudly, tugging the girl's hand as he bolted from his seat, his brown kimono swaying as he quickly sped out of the teashop, her dragging a short distance behind. The others in Zuko's group were left speechless, eyes blinking as they watched where Zuko had been sitting.

"What the hell was that?" Sokka asked directly, earning a shrug of confusion from the others.

"I guess he couldn't get the nerve up to confess to her with us here," Katara reasoned, earning a nod of agreement from Suki and Aang.

"I'm a little surprised though," Sokka said, rubbing his chin with his eyes closed, seemingly in deep thought about something.

"What are you surprised about?" Aang asked innocently, expecting some words of sagelike wisdom from the slightly older boy.

"I think he's surprised that the girl is so, umm, well developed," Toph said her own mint green eyes falling closed as she rubbed her feet slowly on the smooth, yellowish stone of the floor.

"What do you mean by that?" Aang asked, seemingly oblivious to what the little blind girl was getting at.

"You don't need to know," Katara interrupted, subconsciously trying to cover her chest, her arms crossing defensively over herself.

"It's just because she's probably older," Suki said, mimicking the gesture from the water bender, figuring she knew what had caught Sokka's attention so intently.

"What does her being older have to do with anything?" Aang asked again, feeling a bit irritated at being left out of the loop regarding the Earth Kingdom girl. "Come on, what's going on?" he insisted, his brows furrowing in his frustration.

"These two ladies are probably just worried because Zuko's little girlfriend has a more developed figure," Toph began, pointing to her own chest for emphasis of the matter. "I could tell once she sat down, and it's sad to say, but she's got you both beat," the dark haired girl said teasingly, savoring the subtle tremors of frustration from the two girls in the group.

"Yeah, she does…" Sokka said dumbly, earning him another smack to the side from his angry girlfriend.

"So, are we going to follow, or just argue about stupid things?" Toph asked, pushing Aang as she tried to extricate herself from the innermost seat at the table. Suki looked angrily from her boyfriend, shoving him face first off of his own seat before moving towards the door.

"Come on, we should check on them just to be sure nothing goes wrong," the auburn haired girl said carefully, watching as Katara, Aang and Toph each joined her at the door, Sokka a good distance behind after leaving a few coins to pay for the tea.

Unaware of the pursuit from his friends, Zuko sped through the streets, the dipping Sun casting dark shadows across the narrow, crowded avenues. He found the act somewhat exciting, spurred on by the excited giggles from the light hearted brunette a short distance behind. The Fire Lord had no idea where he was running to, only that he somehow found that he did not want to stop.

Finally, his eyes rested on a familiar sight, a small fountain surrounded by a multitude of paper lanterns. He came to a slow stop, Jin falling in next to him, their hand still clasped together. Realizing the situation, Zuko pulled his hand quickly away, finding quickly that he missed the softness of her skin against his own.

Looking around, he noticed that there were somehow no people there again, something he thought of as a curse and a blessing all at once. Making his way slowly towards the large fountain, he watched the dull glow of the dipping Sun against the darkened pools of water.

"What was that all about, Lee?" Jin asked with an amused smile on her face, sitting at the edge of the fountain before placing her hands gently in her lap as she tried to catch her breath.

"We need to talk," he said seriously, sucking in a deep breath as he looked into her soft, deep green eyes. He clenched his hands into fists, not sure exactly what it was that he was supposed to say in these situations.

"We do? What about?" she asked, a knowing smile on her face that he failed to catch. The girl subtly moved her hands inside of her sleeves, bringing the sleeves together as she pulled into a standing position.

"Ugh, this is so hard," he muttered, slumping over, his palms smacking against the smoothed out stone of the fountain's lip. He watched the last glimmers between Sunlight and moonlight fade away, leaving a momentary darkness in the secluded spot.

"It's a shame the torches aren't lit. It really is beautiful when the candles are burning," Jin suggested, wondering if the young man would take such a simple bait.

"Yeah, it's a shame," he said, turning his gaze back to the young girl, resting against the grey stone of the fountain, the soft flow of water soothing him just a little bit as he closed his eyes.

"How did you get it lit last time, Zuko?" she asked, smiling at the peaceful expression that crossed his face.

"Well, I have my w- what did you say?" he asked, wondering if he had somehow misheard her or something. The girl responded with a soft giggle, before pulling a piece of paper from the loosely hanging green sleeve.

"I was wondering when you might catch on. You know, it's not nice to lie, especially when someone trusts you so much," the brunette said, a somewhat sad look on her face as she handed the piece of paper to the young Fire Lord.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, idly brushing his thumb over the familiar scarred face and ponytail, a reminder of a much less pleasant, much darker time of his life. One he wanted desperately to put behind him for good.

"Well, things like this are kind of hard to ignore. They were posted everywhere for the longest, so I took one," the girl said, taking a seat next to the teen exposed as the current Fire Lord. "Plus, it's hard not to know the face of the current Fire Lord," she joked, earning an annoyed groan from the boy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," he tried to explain, but was stopped as the girl pressed a finger to his lips. His eyes fluttered open and closed in surprise for a moment before she continued.

"I know you probably had your reasons, but it's never polite to lie to a lady, you know?" she joked, the playful grin he remembered from when she had tried to kiss him that first time. "But, since you're sorry, I suppose I can forgive you, on one condition," she said, pulling her finger from his lips.

"What is it?" he asked, glad that she was being so understanding and forgiving, something he wasn't sure he was super comfortable with. He had expected more outrage, more hurt feelings and lots of yelling. But she seemed completely unfazed by it.

"Just this," she said simply, before leaning in, capturing his lips with hers. Memories of that one night long ago flooded both their minds, and golden eyes and emerald orbs closed, each melding into the soft kiss. Zuko felt lost as he thought of Mai, the girl he cherished more than any other, yet was unable to break free from the mystifyingly warm kiss from this Earth Kingdom commoner.

After a blissful moment, the girl pulled back, her cheeks a light tint of pink, evident even in the softly increasing moonlight in the small square. Slowly his eyes fluttered open, his lips still parted slightly as he came back to his senses.

"W-what was that for?" he asked shyly, feeling his own cheeks warm up as he watched the girl play idly with her twin braids, the soft strands of brown flowing easily over her shoulders.

"To make sure of something. But if you want me to forgive you, could you do me a favor?" she asked, turning her gaze slowly towards the multitude of lanterns, sitting aimlessly atop the wooden poles at many points around the area.

"Are you sure?" he asked, knowing what she was asking.

"If you don't want to, that's alright, but I'd… like to see it," she said somewhat nervously, wondering what it looked like to see someone fire bending for a purpose other than war, or destruction. With a slight smile on his face, Zuko stood from his perch at the edge of the fountain. Taking a few steps, he cast a sideways at the brunette, before closing his eyes, taking in a few light breaths of concentration.

Opening his eyes, Zuko let the energy flow from his fingers, firing out small darts of flame. He watched as each hit its target, lighting the wicks of the candles beneath the pieces of thickened paper. Jin watched as the small sparks became steady, little flames, the gatherings of heat and light illuminating the small square. Her eyes glittered with the many candle lights all at once, entranced by the show of fire bending from the young royal.

Once he was finished, Zuko turned back towards the girl, a smile gracing her lips as she stared straight ahead of her. The young man took a few steps towards the fountain, again taking his seat at the girl's side. He felt nervous and relieved at the same time, wondering just what she was thinking at the small spectacle he had displayed for her.

"Wow. That was really amazing," she said in honest praise. She felt a small pang of fear in her chest, a fear instilled in an entire world by a lengthy war, but it was absorbed into a trust she felt from the young man. Somehow, she felt the comforting warmth of his darts of fire on her skin, bringing with it small goose bumps all up and down her arms.

"I didn't mean to lie to you, or anyone. It was a really hard time in my life, and I made a lot of mistakes. A LOT of mistakes," he said darkly, tilting his gaze away from the excited looking brunette.

"Zuko, it's alright. I mean, sure, it would have been nice for you to explain this earlier, but you're here now, and that's all that matters," she said, placing her smooth palm against the sides of his face, guiding his attention back to her. Her smile nearly broke his heart in two, dragging up all the feelings of confusion he had tried to forget. But he did not pull away, simply letting the girl's cool yet comforting hands hold their positions on his cheeks.

"How can you forgive me so easily? I thought you would be pissed off, or scared or something, anything but this. Why are you so nice to me?" he asked, his eyes showing his frantically spinning emotions. The girl giggled as she dropped her hands back into her lap, leaving the faint traces of her soothing warmth on his face.

"Sure, when I first realized who you were, I was… surprised. And a little scared. Then when I heard that you were the one who caused the downfall of Ba Sing Se and killed the Avatar, I was angry," she said, her smile slipping from her face as she spoke, all the feelings coming back.

"I'm sorry. I know it's not an excuse, that I'm the one who made those decisions, but like I said, my life at the time was… complicated," he said weakly, watching the girl out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah, it's got to be hard being a fugitive from your own people," Jin reasoned, putting on a sympathetic look on her face. "But, even with all that, you still made the right decision in the end, and it's like I told your friends. I knew there was a nice guy in there beneath all the seriousness," she joked, earning her a smile from the fire bender.

"So, where do we go from here?" he asked, not sure what he could say about the mood, or his own state of mind in the matter.

"I guess we move on as friends, and you can feel free to visit me any time."

"Even though I don't know where you live," Zuko said, the pair chuckling a bit at the simple obstacle to the matter. "Wait, I have an idea. How much do you know about tea?" he asked, his lips curling into a smile as the girl quirked a brow in curiosity.

"Well, not a lot. I do know a few different types and stuff, why?"

"My uncle runs a teashop in the Upper Ring, the Jasmine Dragon. Have you heard of it?"

"Of course! It's the most famous teashop in the city, with its awesome tea. Your uncle is great at making tea," the girl said enthusiastically, remembering the sweet taste of the old man's delicious teas.

"Well, obviously I don't get much time to help him out, so I'm sure he would love to hire an energetic person to help him out," Zuko said, catching the twinkle in the girl's eyes, reflecting the many bright candle lights.

"Oh, you mean it?" she asked, throwing her arms around the young man as he weakly nodded, glad she seemed open to the idea. "Oh, that would be amazing. Your uncle makes the best tea," she said as she pulled her arms from around the boy's neck.

"Yeah. He does. I'll talk to him later tonight when I head back, so come with me and I'll introduce you. But, I'm sure he will agree right away."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked slightly confused, feeling a bit nervous about fitting in with society among the Upper Ring.

"Well, let's just say that my uncle likes… nice things," Zuko said, cringing as he recalled the instances where he had witnessed the older man flirting shamelessly with women of all ages and physical appearances.

"Nice things?" the girl asked, feeling a bit nervous at the suggestion.

"Yeah. I'm sure he wouldn't mind having a cute girl like you around, help drum up even more business," Zuko said, unaware of the compliment that he had spoken.

"Aww, you think I'm cute?" she said, gently nudging the scarred boy in the side, smiling wide as his face lit up.

"Forget I said anything," he said embarrassedly, trying to shake the notion from his mind, hoping that Mai wouldn't be too upset that he had helped the girl out.

"But girls always like compliments, Zuko," the girl said, smiling teasingly at the young boy to her right.

"I know. All right, you guys can come out now," Zuko said, turning his gaze towards a nearby vendor's stall. Jin followed his gaze, her brows raised in confusion. The confusion passed as she saw the group of teens from earlier come from behind a wooden stand, replaced with surprise and mild embarrassment.

"Aww, that was a really touching moment, Sparky," Toph teased, punching the older boy playfully on the upper arm as she sat down next to him, smiling as she felt the increased heartbeats of the young brunette. "No need to be so worried, Jin, it was a really sweet moment, especially the kiss," Toph said, staring sightlessly at the young brunette.

"H-how long were you guys there?" the girl asked, her face glowing brightly as she realized that the group had watched them kiss.

"Long enough. Poor Mai is going to be devastated that you just kissed Jin," Sokka teased, his arm tightly holding his girlfriend closely as they watched the boy sigh and lean backwards beneath the gazes.

"Only if someone tells her, and besides," Zuko paused, looking over at the brunette, "she's the one who kissed me," he concluded, smirking at the turn of words on the situation in question.

"Yeah, yeah. I won't tell her, as long as that was the end of it," Sokka said, casting an inquisitive glance at Zuko. Everyone present did likewise, looking earnestly at the young Fire Lord for some indication of how things might progress.

"Yeah, that was the end of it," he said somewhat sadly, feeling a ping of guilt at the sad expression on the emerald eyed girl's face. "But, I'm sure she'll have no trouble finding a nice guy," he said, forcing a reassuring smile on his face. The girl did likewise, a soft fluttering of her heart at his kind words.

The group teased Zuko mercilessly over the next few minutes, before following him slowly back into the Upper Ring, the sheer size of the group warding off any potential thieves or pickpockets. As they entered the Jasmine Dragon, Zuko uneasily made his way towards Mai and his uncle, who were sitting comfortable over a game of pai sho, cups of tea steaming idly into the air of the comfortable shop.

"How did it go, Zuko?" Iroh asked, somewhat teasing his nephew, who in many ways had become like his second son.

"It was alright. I was wondering if you could do me a favor, uncle," Zuko said simply, giving Mai a gentle kiss on her soft cheek, feeling the girl's lips pull into a lighthearted smile.

"Of course. What is it?" the older man asked, turning his gaze towards the lovely young lady, who sat among the rest of the group, talking animatedly about something or other.

"I was wondering if you could give Jin a job here. The Lower Ring is no place for a lady, so I wanted her to be able to move up here," Zuko explained, wrapping his arm around the slender frame of his girlfriend, partially to enjoy her closeness and partially to prevent her from overreacting to the suggestion.

"Why, that is a very sweet sentiment of you, my nephew. I would be more than happy to comply," Iroh said with a wide grin on his face. Zuko bowed slightly as the older man made his way over toward the green clad brunette, smiling widely as he set about finalizing the deal.

"That's awfully nice of you, Zuko," Mai said, clasping her hands over his, his arms held warmly around her waist.

"It's nothing. I had to make it up to her, and this seemed like a good way. Besides, this makes it easier to get in touch with her when I'm in town," he said, smiling as he imagined a certain thought.

"I thought this was a one time thing?" Mai said, turning her head to glare at the young man. Zuko simply smiled slyly, pressing his lips against hers as he explained what he meant.

"It's over between us, but we're still friends. But, she's pretty interested in the circus," he joked, Mai blinking as she ran the suggestion through her head. Soft, pale lips curled into an amused smile as she imagined the eager, excitable Ty Lee hanging out with the shy, but honest Jin.

"That does sound like fun," Mai said somewhat sarcastically, turning in Zuko's firm grasp. "But next time you do one of these apologies, I'm going with you," she cautioned, to which Zuko only kissed her softly.

"Deal," he said, hoping that his trip to see Song would go as smoothly as it did with Jin.

* * *

**Man, Jinko is really growing on me. I wish there was more of it, in terms of stories and what have you, but I guess that's to be expected for a ship involving a oneshot character. Next time we start the three part chapter of Zuko apologizing to Song, that will involve Lee as well. Look forward to that, followed by my first true Jinko story. Really becoming one of my favorites (wouldn't mind trying a Ty Jinko story either).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 03: Rising With the Sun**

**Rating: K**

**Alright, after a day off, here is the start to the Song part of the story. Not really, since it is just exposition kind of stuff. Next time the gang meets Lee, and Zuko deals with an emotional situation. Not sure exactly how it will go (positive greeting or negative) so hopefully it comes out alright. This part of the story will probably be 4 parts now, making the total 6 instead of 5 as I had planned. Lee in the next part, then 2 parts for Song. Hard to write since I really want to get started on my Jinko story, but I want to get this finished before I lose my trian of thought. Thoughts appreciated, as always. Enjoy.

* * *

**

Slowly opening his eyes to the glimmers of morning Sun, Zuko lay in bed for a moment, hoping to somehow prevent the coming of the remainder of the day. But any hopes for a relaxing day off were dashed as his door swung open wildly, the fine wood echoing with the sound of many footsteps.

"Come on, Zuko, we better get going. Don't want to take too long," Aang said, entirely too cheerful for so early in the morning. Zuko turned onto his side, showing his back to the assembled group, mumbling something incoherent as he tried to close his eyes to the world around him.

"Hey, we're just trying to help, you jerk," Sokka said, rushing towards the seemingly irritated fire bender. Grabbing an edge of the blanket, the water tribesman tugged the blanket as harshly as he could, inadvertently pulling the person within along with it. A loud thud echoed painfully through the room, nearly visible steam emanating from the Fire Lord even as his face remained planted on the ground.

"You have until the count of 10, or I roast you alive," Zuko threatened as harshly as he could manage given his unthreatening circumstance. Sokka thought of calling the older boy's bluff, but felt a streak of fear tear through him at the sight of Zuko's eyes. For only a moment, he thought that maybe he had gone too far.

"Now Zuko, we all know you're not going to do anything like that," Katara said, offering her hand to the scarred teen. Zuko turned his furious gaze to the water bender, groaning as he saw the impossibly wide smile on the girl's face. He wondered to himself how any one person, let alone a whole group, could be so optimistic in any circumstance.

"So, are you guys going to tell me why you have woken me up so early in the morning, or am I just going to have to wait?" Zuko said, taking the girl's hand. He remarked to himself how smooth and toned her skin was, almost like the result of the pampering of royalty.

"Well, we figured you only have one more trip to make, so you would want to get it out of the way," Aang explained, Zuko's eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head at the goofy smile on the Avatar's face.

"You're kidding. Tell me you're kidding?" Zuko said, rubbing the last remnants of nighttime slumber from his golden eyes. As he felt more set for the day ahead, he winced a bit at the overwhelmingly positive attitude on the faces of the water siblings and the Avatar. The two lovers he knew had good intentions, but the other boy was another matter.

"Come on, Zuko. The first one wasn't so bad. And we got to see something pretty interesting," the water warrior said, a distinctly teasing tone to his voice. Zuko felt the fury from only a short time earlier return, his cheeks heating up as he remembered how they had spied on him during his apology to the girl from Ba Sing Se.

"Yeah, it was actually really nice to see you open up to someone like that. It's the first as far as I can tell," Katara reasoned, a faint blush forming on her cheeks as her boyfriend gently clutched her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"And the only way for you to put your past behind you is to make amends," Aang said cheerfully, a tone of voice that Zuko was quickly growing tired of. Stretching his arms above his head for a moment, he let the surge of morning Sunlight replenish his energy, letting the chi flow through his body.

"Alright, say you're right, and I have to make up for things I did in the past. This next trip won't be nearly as quick as the first one," Zuko explained, straightening the dark red shirt he wore to sleep, before running his fingers through his messy bed head.

"That reminds me, where exactly is this next girl?" Sokka asked, not hiding his true intentions very well at all with his eagerness, and his phrasing of the question. Zuko shot the boy a deadly look, not realizing that his messy head of hair withered any threatening look he might give.

"It's pretty far. It's in the Western part of the Earth Kingdom. I'm not exactly sure where it is, but I think it's pretty close to Omashu," Zuko explained, wondering if there were any markers he could remember to make the identification easier.

"Omashu? But that's on the other side of the Earth Kingdom," Sokka groaned, his interest in embarrassing Zuko being outweighed by the sheer inconvenience of the trip.

"That is a pretty long trip," Katara said, a bit less positive than she had been only a moment earlier. She had her lips pursed together as she considered how long it might take as she looked to her boyfriend, who remained upbeat and positive about the matter.

"It'll be fine, Katara. It just gives us a chance to enjoy another adventure together. It's been so boring just handling negotiations and peace treaties and stuff, it'll be fun to just get out and do stuff," Aang said, his infectious optimism perking up the young water bender.

"You're right Aang. I just hope it doesn't take too long. I mean, do you even know what the village looks like? Like, markers or landmarks?" Katara asked as she turned to the Fire Lord, whose brows were knit together in concentration, trying to think of any pertinent information they could use.

"All I remember is that there is a hospital in the center, where the girl and her mother work. The village is surrounded by farms on the outskirts, and it's located by a river," Zuko said, trying to recall what the village looked like.

"Oh, that should make it a bit easier. I mean, there are only so many rivers, right?" Aang said cheerfully, his simplicity drawing a groan of frustration from the young fire bender.

"Yeah, and we might only have to check them all," Sokka complained, his forehead resting against the inside of the doorframe, his arms hanging limply down at his sides as he imagined the difficulties of camping out and searching for a specific village.

"Well, nobody said You had to come," Katara reasoned, knowing that her brother was only coming to get a gander at any girl who had showed any interest in the usually moody fire bender.

"Hey, I'm not going to just let my sister go out in the dangerous, wilderness of the Earth Kingdom, with the Fire Lord and the Avatar. Do you realize how much trouble they can attract?" Sokka inquired, turning a suspicious glare to the two in question. Katara simply rolled her eyes at her brother's idiocy, hardening her gaze as she looked to the idiot in question.

"Look, I want to help Zuko get closure, unlike some people, and I can take care of myself," she said sternly, fixing the boy in place with the harshness of her tone. Zuko, Aang and Sokka looked to one another with the same thought on their minds.

'_That's for sure,'_ they each thought, shuddering just a bit with memories of Katara's occasionally frightening displays of power, to match her unyielding strong will.

"Yeah, that's for sure. Even when you're wrong," Sokka said, his words sending Zuko and Aang backing away slightly from the water bender. The temperature seemed to reach near freezing levels around the dark skinned beauty, the two more common sensical of the three boys not wanting to get dragged into what might be about to happen.

"Excuse me, what? You think I'm wrong?" she asked directly, a highly insulted tone to her voice as she locked her eyes with the shimmering blue orbs of her brother. The boy realized he had stuck his foot in his mouth, and thought hard of how to resolve the matter without bodily harm.

"Look, all I'm saying is that once you get set on something, it's hard to change your opinion, even if it turns out you're in the wrong. Like when Toph first joined the group, or the thing with Jet, or when Zuko first joined," Sokka listed off the previous occasions when his sister's stubbornness had not been justified, and he felt relief as she seemed to calm down just a bit.

"You just need to think things through before taking a strong stance, that's all," Sokka finished, watching as Aang stepped forward, placing his hand on the girl's shoulder. Katara looked appreciatively at Aang, flashing him a warm smile before making her way towards the door to Zuko's room.

"Well, get cleaned up, and then we'll talk about what to do next," the girl said simply, Zuko nodding in agreement as the girl and her boyfriend made their way past the still entrenched water tribesman. But Katara was not one to just suffer being wrong, and so splashed her brother with a bit of water from her handy pouch.

"Damn magic," Sokka grumbled as he made his way out of the older boy's room, a hard frown on his face as water dripped off of his blue tunic and wolf's tail, leaving small droplets on the dark brown wood of the floor. As the door closed, Zuko sat on his comfortable bed, the room having been left in its usual condition even after he had left the place so long ago. His uncle always wanted Zuko to know that he had a place to come if he so desired it, something he was thankful for at the moment.

"Good morning, Zuko," Mai greeted him as he made his way down the stairs, giving him a warm, gentle kiss as he finished tying the gold sash around his waist, fixing the crimson and black shirt in place. He returned the kiss with his own warmth, smiling against her at the slight shiver he felt course through her body.

"Yeah, yeah, good mornings all around," Toph said grumpily, clearly annoyed at having been woken up so early in the morning. The girl's raven locks were being trained by the nimble fingers of the water bender, who simply rolled her eyes at the younger girl's lack of cosmetic upkeep.

"You know, if you don't start taking care of yourself more, you'll never meet a great guy," the darker skinned girl said, part warning and part teasing of the young girl in front of her.

"And who says I care about that? Just because you define your life by having a boyfriend, doesn't mean we all have to," Toph huffed, sending ripples through the hard earth beneath her feet as she tapped her feet against the ground.

"No one said that, my friend," Iroh said in his jovial manner, drawing the attention to him as he came from the back room of the teashop, large tray in hand. "It is just that your friends wish for your happiness, and one of the most joyous feelings in the world is the feeling of love," the old man said as he placed a small cup in front of the young blind girl.

"If it means acting like sweetness here, then I'll pass," the girl said, tilting her head so that her black bangs hung over her sightless eyes, obscuring an oddly sad look as it crossed her soft features.

Her tough act didn't fool anyone in the room, but they all knew that talking it out would only make things worse, and so they left the matter alone. As Zuko took up a seat at one of the tables, Mai sitting down next to him, Aang was first to ask what the plan might be regarding the upcoming trip.

"So, what is the plan, Zuko?" the bald boy asked, his energetic grey eyes resting on the eldest of his friends. The dark haired boy looked from the Avatar to the others, realizing that they were leaving the details of the trip up to him. He groaned inwardly once again for opening up to Sokka that one night so many weeks ago now, but realized that there would be no getting out of it.

"Like I told you guys earlier, it's by a river in the Western Earth Kingdom, but I have no idea how to locate it aside from that," Zuko said, resting his elbows on his knees as he bent forward, thinking hard once again for any useful details he could give as to where the village was.

"No landmarks or anything aside from that?" Suki asked, leaning lazily against the right side of her boyfriend, her auburn locks falling over his exposed skin.

"As best as I can figure, it's a little bit north of Omashu, but I can't be too sure," the boy responded, sighing heavily at the thought of taking such a long trip. Even on Appa, with no definitive location, it could take a great deal of time to find Song's village.

"Well, at least that narrows it down a little," Katara responded, Aang nodding his agreement to the idea.

"Yeah. I mean, there are only a few rivers near Omashu, so all we have to do is look out for a village with a hospital near the center and farms on the outskirts," he continued enthusiastically.

"Ugh, you sure picked a hell of a place to mess things up," Mai muttered in some frustration, not wanting to deal with all the hazards and inconveniences that came with camping and roughing it like Zuko used to.

"Don't blame me. Blame uncle and his tea obsession," Zuko responded darkly, averting all the gazes of the assembled crowd to the old man.

"What? It is not every day that one gets the opportunity to brew such a delicious tea. How was I supposed to know that it was a poisonous flower?"

"You shouldn't just brew random leaves or plants you find lying around, no matter what they look like!" Zuko shouted, frustrated with the older man's tea obsession.

"Now, now. There was no harm done, and it allowed you to meet a lovely girl, so it was all worthwhile," Iroh said, sneaking a pointed gaze to his nephew, who fumed before turning away, to the amusement of all present. Except for Mai.

"God, I wonder what other stunts you pulled while you were on your own. Any other girls you put the moves on, that you would like to tell us about?" Mai asked directly, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at the young man.

"I told you all before, it wasn't like that. This girl was just super nice, like the kind of person the Avatar might travel with," Zuko explained, the pleading and sincerity obvious in his golden eyes as he looked at his girlfriend.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Aang asked, a bit unnerved by the seemingly accusatory tone in the older boy's face.

"You know, all talking about hope and happiness and kindness. The kind of thing you always go on and on about," Zuko explained, enjoying Mai's little chuckle at the sarcastic tone of his words, a laugh he always savored when he heard it.

"I don't go on about that stuff. Do I?" he asked, turning to the water tribe siblings who had served as his companions the longest with a curious look on his face.

"Well, you do act unusually happy most of the time," Sokka said, waving the mater off as though it were nothing truly important.

"But, that's not a bad thing," Katara tried to reassure the boy, squeezing his hand gently with her own.

"I'm with Sparky on this one. It does get a little annoying sometimes, and you're just the same, Katara," Toph said, wiggling her toes as she propped her feet up rudely on the table, elbows resting on the outer edges of the chair she was sitting in.

"Well, before we go visit Song, there is one other place I'd like to visit first. But I'm not sure how welcome I would be there," Zuko said, the undisguised hurt in his voice snapping everyone's attention back to him.

"What do you mean? What did you do that would make them hate you that much?" Mai asked, placing her slender fingers on the boy's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze as she looked into his deep gold eyes.

"I saved a boy," he explained, his words causing the others to look to him in confusion.

"Wow, what a horrible villain, saving little kids all over the place. No wonder they hate you," Toph said sarcastically, his vibrations telling her what his face told the others, that there was much more to it than that.

"Well, to save him, I had to fire bend," he said, the pain he felt at that moment rushing back to the front of his mind. The look of pure distrust and hatred on the face of the villagers, even after he had selflessly rescued the boy. But he had not wanted thanks, or needed it. The sneers of derision were something he had gotten used to during his time in the Earth Kingdom, but it had still not been easy to deal with.

"Oh. And since that was during the war…" Katara began, her heart going out to the boy at the look of anguish on his face.

"There's a lot of people who have no love for the Fire Nation, even now that the war is over. Your people caused a lot of suffering, and it'll be hard to get over that," Sokka said, leaning forward slightly towards the older boy. Zuko looked around the room, grateful for the looks of compassion on the faces of his friends, but moreso for the look of pride on the face of his uncle.

"That is a lovely story, my nephew. I am sure that they will be willing to welcome you with open arms, seeing as you are partially responsible for ending the war," the old man said happily, his grin cheering up the dark mood of the onetime prince.

"I hope so, uncle. But I can't blame them if we don't," Zuko said sadly, nervous about facing the villagers again, after having been chased out so long ago.

"Don't worry, Zuko. You have the Avatar to vouch for you, so there's no way they can stay mad," Sokka said, his optimism coming to the forefront. The others nodded, offering their support in the matter should it be needed.

"Thanks, you guys," Zuko said genuinely, taking a deep breath at the thought of the small village on the plains of the Earth Kingdom.

"So, anyone in particular there you're interested in?" Aang asked, curious for more details on what happened there.

"I just want to know what happened to the kid I saved. Lee," Zuko said sternly, images of the gap-toothed kid passing through his mind. Reaching into his pocket, he produced the knife he had tried to offer the kid so long ago, running his finger idly over the inscription that had inspired him so much through his difficult travels.

"Well, then I guess we're off," Aang said, words of agreement echoing from the others in the group as well. Zuko had to admit, it was nice to have such loyal friends for times like these. He just hoped he would be able to do something to help the little village.

* * *

**Yeah, a relatively uneventful chapter. Just couldn't think of a way to get into the meat of this part of the story otherwise, so hopefully you will forgive me a little bit. As I said, next time, we meet Lee, and see how the scars of war have healed in the little Earth Kingdom village. Also, if anyone knows where Song's village is, I would not be opposed to putting it in there. Just hard to tell for me. Hopefully I can get this story finished by Monday, so keep fingers crossed.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 04: Understanding**

**Rating: K**

**This was a little hard to write, but once I remembered I classified this story as humor, it started easier. Got a little too dramatic at the end, so let me know if it turned out alright. Didn't want to get too in depth with Lee's character, but he will probably show up in the sequel (or second sequel) to Zuko's Vacation. But for now, enjoy this little pointless piece of storytelling.

* * *

**

Looking in the distance, the bald headed monk squinted, trying to think whether or not this could be the city Zuko was looking for. Shimmering grey eyes widened at the seeming activity of the village, giving a distinctly opposing impression to the place that the Fire Lord had described.

"Hey, Zuko? Is that it?" Aang shouted over the rushing of wind around him, drawing the group's attention to the city ahead of them. Each peered over the edge of the saddle, before turning to Zuko in curiosity. The onetime prince blinked, surprised by the seemingly active state of the village.

"I don't know. This is the spot, but last time it was much more… deserted looking. There weren't all these buildings and the people weren't as energetic," Zuko said in more than a little confusion.

Was this the same village? It seemed so different from how he had remembered it, and he wondered if maybe his bitterness at being cast out had played a part in changing how he recalled it.

"It almost looks like they're celebrating something," Sokka said in excitement, always one for a celebration, regardless of the occasion. Any chance to stuff his face to his heart's, or stomach's, desire was one he would gladly take.

"Who cares, just land this thing," Mai complained, her back resting against her boyfriend as her eyes remained plastered shut.

"What's the matter, the Fire Lady can't take a little flying?" Toph joked, not mentioning her own initial discomfort with riding the large beast. The seemingly emotionless girl turned her head to the blind bender, a tint of green on her face showing her displeasure with the experience.

"You can say whatever you want, but this is no way to travel," the girl said weakly, closing her eyes as she settled in closer to her future husband. His warmth provided at least moderate comfort against the awkward feeling of flying so openly in the sky.

"Now, now. No need to argue. Some people just can't handle flying very well," Katara said, hoping to avoid any major blow ups during their little side trip to the small plains village, with a name that Zuko did not remember or possibly even know.

"Katara's right. It's not for everybody. So, Zuko, are you sure this is the place?" Aang asked once again, hoping that they would not need to ask directions, or make a detour to find another village. Zuko thought about it, looking for anything that looked recognizable from his first time in the village. Catching sight of a water tower near the center, he figured it was the safest bet.

"Yeah, I think this is it," the young man said with some apprehension. Despite the seemingly improved fortunes of the village, he still considered how he would be received where he had been all but chased out before. Silently he hoped at least that he would not be attacked, something he figured being with the Avatar would remedy.

Feeling a light squeeze on his right arm, he looked to the side, smiling a bit at the reassuring gesture from the dark haired girl. Leaning forward a bit, he gave her a soft, almost imperceptible kiss, thankful that she had decided to tag along. With a somewhat sudden lurch, the large beast began its descent, the reddish colored ground looming larger as they approached.

"I thought you said this place was like a ghost town? It looks pretty lively to me," Sokka said as they landed, the bison giving a loud bellow as a crowd gathered around the creature. Looks and whispers of curiosity passed through the gathered villagers, ringing familiarly on the ears of the Avatar's group. All except for Zuko and Mai, to whom the sound was entirely new.

"Hey, is that…" an old man whispered, failing to hide his surprise as a crooked finger pointed up into the saddle, seemingly pointed towards one person in particular.

"I think it is," a middle aged lady said, a hint of excitement and something like… regret coating her voice as she cast her minty green gaze towards the saddle. The gang looked to one another in confusion, wondering what was going on.

"I never would have thought he would show up," the old man said, a smile crossing his lips as a short sort of holler went up in the crowd, building to near uproarious applause. Feeling the memories of his travels return, Aang leapt off of the large animal, his ears glowing red with the attention he knew he would never grow tired of.

"Thank you, but you don't need to applaud for me, I was just doing my job," he answered the crowd's chants, hoping to show some maturity and grace, not wanting to burden the villagers for a large celebration.

"Huh? Who are you?" the older lady asked, the din in the crowd growing silent, replaced with murmurs, the occasional 'who is he?' sprinkled in for good measure.

"What? You mean, you're not celebrating the Avatar arriving?" Katara asked, somewhat confused as well by the situation as she came to stand to Aang's right, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"The Avatar? Is that him?" the old man asked, hooking his crooked finger towards the little bald boy. The kid nodded, suddenly put off by having mistaken the celebration as being for him, a bad habit from a journey as the 'hero of the world'.

"Yes. I-I am the Avatar…" he answered, feeling self conscious under the scrutinizing gaze of the villagers. At that moment, he figured he had some conception of what Zuko had been talking about. Having the possibility of someone else receiving some praise both thrilled him and made him feel jealous.

"So then, why do you guys seem so excited?" Suki asked, hands hanging down near her hips as she slipped to the ground, offering her hands up for the blind earth bender. Only Zuko and Mai remained in the large saddle, the young woman trying to comfort the fire bender, who retained his natural nerves about the matter.

"Well, we got word that Fire Lord Zuko has been seen around the Earth Kingdom, and we were hoping he would visit us," a tall, dark haired man said from within the group. Squinting his good eye, Zuko felt surprise at the sight of the farmer who had offered him hospitality all those months ago.

"And, what are you planning to do to him?" Aang asked, a bit more accusatory a tone than he had meant. The gathered villagers each smiled a bit nervously, as though reliving some shared memory at the thought of the bender.

"Some time ago, he wandered into town, causing quite a ruckus when he first showed up," an old man began, an amused chuckle escaping his lips at the thought of the brute Gow getting told off by the young man. Zuko inwardly cursed at the seeming insult, a bit irritated that they had left out the part where Lee had been the one to cause the trouble then run off.

"Sounds like Zuko alright," Sokka said teasingly, rolling his eyes as he imagined the young man intentionally causing any mischief, his tone causing Zuko to jot a mental note to torch the water tribesman's precious boomerang next chance he got.

"Anyway, after a while Lee got into some trouble with the local Earth Kingdom… soldiers," the way the old man said 'soldiers' left little doubt that they were that in name only, a fact that seemed to resound within the large militaries of the Earth Kingdom as well as the Fire Nation.

"The kid pulled a knife on the thug, and got captured. The mysterious kid came to help, even though he had not even offered his name," the old man continued, the tone of regret becoming a bit more distinct as he spoke.

"Things were going pretty well, until Gow pulled out his earth bending. The kid had been holding off the gang with only his dao swords, beating them pretty easily," another middle aged man picked up the story, both men leaving out the fact that the villagers had been scared witless by the brutish soldiers.

"Then what happened?" Sokka asked excitedly, absorbed in the story of action and heroism, as though he were a small boy on his father's lap again.

"He was about to lose, but then he started hurling fire from the edges of his swords, blowing clean through the masses of earth. It was some of the most impressive attacking I have ever seen," the dark skinned man said, a shiver running through his body at the memory of it. The pure intensity, the anger and rage were something to behold.

"But, even after saving little Lee, once we realized he was a fire bender, we all ran him out of town," the bitter tone of regret, one that Zuko himself was all too familiar with. Mai gave his arm another squeeze, his scarred face turned away from the crowd, not wanting to deal with the harsh memories again.

He was aware of the subtle glances directed his way from the others in the group, save for Toph who simply smiled, knowing longer than the others in their group that he had a good heart beneath all the muck that resulted from his tumultuous childhood.

"Then why do you want Zuko to show up here?" Sokka asked, figuring he knew where the crowd's thoughts were going.

"We want to apologize. Since it was still during the war, there was so much resentment of the Fire Nation, that we couldn't see that he was just trying to help us. Truth be told, there still is a lot of resentment for the Fire Nation, but it's hard to justify being angry at the man who helped put a stop to the war," the old man, who seemed to speak for the villagers as a whole, spoke carefully, his head bowing a bit as he finished.

As the other villagers did likewise, Zuko slipped from the saddle, taking position next to Aang, wincing instinctively at the gasps that emanated from the crowd. He felt so exposed, so strange being placed under their gazes. But his golden eyes widened as the villagers bowed in deference to the young Fire Lord, something he was used to in his own nation but not anywhere else.

"Please, there is no need to bow. And there is no need for apologies," he said, smiling in embarrassment at the overblown gesture of respect. He felt himself calm as Mai pulled up beside him, gently clasping his hand with her own.

"We behaved so badly, there is nothing we can do to make it up to you," a woman seemingly in her mid twenties said in desperation, echoing sentiments ringing from the others in the village as well. Zuko waved his hand, motioning for the crowd to calm down and rise to their feet.

"No, it is me who should apologize. My people have caused so much suffering in the world, and I know that nothing I can do will bring back your loved ones, and heal all the wounds from the war. But we can all try to understand one another better, so that events like that will never happen again." As Zuko bowed in politeness to the assembled crowd, renewed cheering erupted, extolling the virtues of the gracious new Fire Lord.

Zuko blushed a bit as the crowd came up closer to him, some clasping him on the shoulder in apology as others offered him various gifts and items of produce. The young man felt entirely unfamiliar with the scene, and so was nearly swept away. But as he scanned the crowd, he realized that the most important people he needed to see were not there.

"So, where is, umm, Lee?" he asked, his question putting a stop to the crowd's excitement and happiness. Each person looked to one another and then back to the young Fire Lord.

"Well, he's still young, so he is having a harder time dealing with things than even the rest of us. I'm sure he will come around eventually," one of the townspeople said, backing away from the scarred teen, whose face fell a bit in disappointment.

"I figured it wouldn't be that easy," he said under his breath, a twinge of hurt resting in his heart. Turning towards the rest of the group, he thought for a moment on what to say, what action to be taken.

"So, what now, Zuko? The people here seem to love you, so I'm sure they would give you an ostrich horse, or two, or ten," Sokka said half jokingly, enjoying the positive attitude from the small village.

"No, I don't need anything like that," Zuko said simply, casting his eyes in the direction of Lee's family's farm. He hoped that the father had returned safely from the war, and maybe even with his oldest son.

"Then what are you going to do?" Mai asked, her golden eyes piercing into his, her usually emotionless expression replaced with one of curiosity, concern and happiness. From all he had told her of his travels, there was little that he had ever described in a positive light, so it was heart warming to her that he had something positive to associate with the Earth Kingdom now.

"I'm going to go and see Lee myself," he responded, pulling the carved dagger from his pocket. Running his fingers over the scabbard, he sighed heavily, before turning back to the members of the group. "You guys can wait here, and have a party while I do that. Hopefully it won't take long," Zuko said. After giving Mai a soft kiss on her pale cheek, he turned towards the direction he knew the farm lay in, slowly making his way down the wide avenue.

"So, can I ask you something?" Sokka said, grabbing one of the townspeople by the shoulder.

"Sure. What can I do for you, stranger?" the man asked in return, his tanned face turning to consider the boy with the wolf's tail.

"Zuko told us this place was pretty messed up. But it looks pretty fine to me, so what happened?"

"Ah, that. Well, once Gow and his gang were chased out of town, the real Earth Kingdom army showed up, providing a little aid. Then, after the war, some people came by after hearing that then-Prince Zuko had been here. Apparently he has a pretty good reputation," the man said, his words leaving the members of Aang's group in shock.

"Wow. So, your town became, what, a tourist attraction?" Suki asked, surprised just as much as the rest at the notion.

"Something like that. I guess people really are interested in the lives of celebrities," the man said, laughing as he spoke before leaving the group of friends a bit disoriented.

"Somehow I always forget that Zuko is the Fire Lord now, so of course he's a big celebrity," Sokka said, catching the nods of agreement from Katara and Suki.

"That's just how people are. They are always wanting to follow the habits of the rich, so it's nothing too surprising," Toph said, as though speaking from experience.

"I wonder what kind of people come looking at things like that," Katara muttered, curiosity filling her voice.

"Probably girls like yourself, sweetness. At least, assuming they are anything like other nobles," Toph said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mai asked, only slightly more bitter than she had intended her words to be.

"I just mean, during his time in the Earth Kingdom he was alone, right? So, a lot of people probably don't know he's involved, and are probably looking for a political marriage," Toph explained, the rest of the group gasping in surprise, as though the thought had not occurred to them.

"Makes sense. But, you don't think he would go for that, do you?" Suki asked to Sokka, who only shrugged his shoulders, dismissing the possibility as something he was not going to concern himself with.

"No way. He's got more honor than that. Besides, I think he's got it bad for gloomy here," Toph said, hiking her thumb at the somewhat irritated knife thrower. The group dismissed the thought, casting one look towards where Zuko had gone before heading to what they assumed was an inn.

While the rest of the gang was getting acquainted with the small village, Zuko made his way down the narrow road, matching his steady strides with the well worn ruts of wagon tracks. The red earth beneath his feet kicked up small bits of dust as he walked, the rust colored dirt sticking to his boots as it settled.

After some distance of walking, he came to the pens that held the various animals, marking off the distant edge of the farm. His red clothing stuck to his skin as he walked, the effort drawing a light sheen of sweat from his body. As the house came into view, the young man stopped, feeling the familiar nerves grate within him.

"Hey, who are you, and what are you doing here?" A rough voice came from behind him, a three pointed object pressed against his back. The young man's body tensed, fearing that he was about to be run clean through. Slowly he turned his body, hoping to see a familiar face behind him.

The face that greeted him was familiar, yet not. Distinct features showed his lineage, yet the physique was different. The well built, lean muscle of a soldier, as opposed to the sinew of a farmer. As his golden eyes rested on the young man in front of him, Zuko had a thought.

"Are you, Sensu?" he asked, his voice low, somewhat weak. The pitchfork fell, a look of confusion and curiosity on the dark haired man's face.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, the lime green tunic fluttering gently in the wind as he set the points of the farm tool into the ground. Zuko breathed a sigh of relief as the points dug into the ground.

"Your father mentioned it to me once, when I visited here a long time ago," Zuko explained, the pain evident on his voice at the memory of the visit. He watched the young man try to run the thought through his mind, wondering if his father had ever mentioned a young man with such a large scar upon his visage.

"Ah, but that was so long ago, I am surprised to know you remembered it, Fire Lord Zuko," the older man said, a knowing smile on his face as he came to a stop next to his oldest son, hand resting on the young man's shoulder.

"Fire Lord Zuko!? You never told me the leader of the Fire Nation had visited here. Did he do anything to you or mom or Lee?" the young man asked, a mask of hatred and anger on his face as he glared at the young fire bender.

"Now, now, Sensu. When he was here, he was a fugitive, on the run from the Fire Nation. He stood up for Lee when he was making trouble," the older man explained, a warm, comforting smile on his face as he observed the young fire bender. "You look much healthier than you did back then, I must say," the old man said, his beard coating his chin with its thick covering.

"It has been a long time. I would like to thank you for your hospitality that time," Zuko said, bringing his hands together in the traditional Fire Nation position as he bowed in deference to the favor the large man had offered.

"Now, no need to be so modest. Sela tells me that you are responsible for keeping my boy safe, when I went off to find my oldest," the man said, the Sun's work showing on the man's face. The lines sat harshly on his face, the creases showing as he smiled at the young man.

"No, it was nothing. Your wife asked me for help, and it was my fault he was in trouble in the first place," Zuko explained, watching as the farmer made his way towards the young bender.

"Still, I owe you much for saving me from the pain of losing a second son. I am sorry that we did not know who you were, and that my family reacted so harshly."

"I understand. The Fire Nation has caused so much suffering, I would never expect forgiveness so easily," Zuko said, backing away carefully from the larger man.

"Hey, dad, what should I do with…" the buck toothed young boy ran up from behind his father, the wide grin falling instantly at the sight of the scarred teen. The boy backed up behind his father, a look of malice and anger directed towards the young Fire Lord.

Zuko winced a bit at the look, turning his head in habitual shame. Despite the fact that he had been prepared for it, the look still hurt, sent a dark pain spiraling through his body. He froze, unable to think of anything to say to the boy. Awkward silence passed through the group, none sure exactly what to say.

"Well, if you saved my brother, then you must be a good guy at heart," the elder brother said finally, time seemingly kicking back into motion as he thrust his hand out towards the Fire Lord.

"Like I said, it was nothing. He is a brave kid, so I'm sure he would have made it," Zuko said, clasping hands with the brother, awkward smile on his face as he gazed into the piercing green eyes.

"Lee, is there anything you would like to say?" the father said, turning his gaze to his son, the messy head of brown hair blowing in the dusty breeze.

"No. I hate the Fire Nation," the boy spat, running past his father and Zuko, roughly pushing the former Prince as he sped past. Both of his family members looked after the sight, half expecting the royal to burst out in anger, in fury at being mistreated in such a way.

But they watched the face of a hurt young man simply lay across his features, a deep seated desire for approval and happiness evident in golden eyes. The father closed the distance between himself and the young man, placing a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. He is still young, so he needs time to grow up," he answered, giving a reassuring smile as Zuko looked into the standard green eyes of the Earth Kingdom native.

"I know. But, I would like to ask you for a favor, if I might."

"Of course. I owe you for the lives of both my sons, a debt I could never hope to repay, so anything I may do for you, I would," Gansu replied, the earnest appreciation of a father returned his sons shining on his face.

"Yes. Despite my misgivings about the Fire Nation, anyone who would fight against their own blood to put a stop to the war must be a worthwhile person, one who I would gladly help as well," the elder son said, bowing in gratitude to the Fire Lord.

"Well, there are some… circumstances I am involved in, and I would like a pair of ostrich horses. I would be willing to pay-" he tried to say, the older man placing his large, calloused hand in front of the boy's face in stop.

"No, I owe you for both my sons, so I need no money from you. The ostrich horses are yours. I only wish they were of a better quality for the Fire Lord," the older gentleman answered the boy's request, motioning towards the pens that held the various farm animals.

"I thank you, Gansu," Zuko said honestly. After choosing two mounts of decent quality, he bowed in gratitude as the family made their way into the house, undoubtedly readying for a fine meal. He felt a bit sad that he had not gotten a chance to see the mother, but knowing that he had played a small part in putting a family together was reward enough.

As he led the creatures back down the dusty road, Zuko listened to the soft clang of coins in his pocket. Coming to a stop, he cast a look back towards the small house, the Sun only starting its trek back down across the daytime sky. An idea forming in his head, the young man grasped the knife from his other pocket, pulling it from its sheath. Rubbing his finger over the inscription, he clicked it shut, pulling a small bag of coins from his other pocket.

"Oh my, how could he show his face after all that his people did to the world?" an angry mother asked, incredulous at the fact that the Fire Lord of all people would have the nerve to show his face in the middle of the Earth Kingdom.

"I don't know, mom. He seems like a pretty alright guy to me," the eldest son answered, placing a few dishes on the small table.

"All fire benders are monsters, who should just leave normal people alone," she said, her bitterness at having nearly lost her entire family to the long, bitter war. Her husband approached from behind her, wrapping the slender woman in his arms.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Sela. We cannot let the bitterness overwhelm us, and color our thoughts on people we have never met."

"Oh dear, you are far too trusting and understanding," the raven haired woman said, a mixture of joy and anxiety on her face.

"No, I am just a good judge of character," he answered slyly, earning a slight giggle from the woman. Just then, a loud thud rang inside the house, sending tension through the four inhabitants.

"What do you think it is?" the wife asked, clutching at her husband's strong arm as he pulled her behind him.

"I'll check," he said, making his way slowly towards the door. Sure, peace had returned, but old habits of tension and wariness were hard to break. As he opened the door, he was surprised to see nobody standing there. Casting his gaze from one side to another, no sight was visible.

"Hey dad, what is that?" the younger boy asked, his eyes widening in anger and curiosity as the yellowed blade glistened in the slowly setting sunlight. Gansu pulled the carved dagger from its perch on the door, a bag of coins falling to the ground.

"I think this is for you," he answered, handing the knife to his son. The boy hesitated for a moment on whether to take it or not, finally deciding to make use of it. Running his thumb over the inscription, he said the words to himself in thought.

"Never give up without a fight…" he muttered, a forlorn grin crossing his face as he sped out of the door, hoping to give a long earned apology, and thanks. But as he watched the horizon, no figure could be seen.

"Oh dear, I think we have misjudged that poor boy," Sela said, her hands clutching the small bag of gold coins to her chest as she watched the horizon as well.

"Don't worry, dear. That boy is strong, and wise for his years. He understands the ways of the world, much more than I fear anyone his age should. And I am sure he will visit us again, when the wounds of war are not as fresh," Gansu answered, holding his wife close as they turned back into the house.

Gazing at the dagger, Lee found himself looking forward to that day, so that he could apologize to the current Fire Lord, who seemed so different from how any other fire bender seemed.

"Hey dad, do you think I could get some dao swords?" the boy asked enthusiastically, his blade shimmering in the sunlight as he closed the door. He'd have to grow up if he wanted to prove worthy of what Zuko had given him.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait, but like I said, this one was harder to write. Somehow the more male characters I have in a story, the harder it is to write . As I said, I am planning two sequels to Zuko's Vacation, somewhat in the same vein as the series. The first will be Fire Nation centric, the other Earth Kingdom centric. But immediately in the future, look forward to the Song x Zuko bits of fluff, and Zuko as a... nurse?! Look forward to that.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 05: Spirit of the Moon**

**Rating: K**

**Easy enough to tell what happens in this one by the title. Special guet appearance, and a fluffy little scene between opposing elementals. The Song x Zuko bit will mostly be next time, and the last chapter will be a bit longer than the others, to extend that. Hope this one came out alright, and that you the readers enjoy it.

* * *

**

As Zuko felt his eyes begin to hood closed, a sense of relief washed over him as he came upon the small encampment the others had occupied. Cursing himself silently, he slipped from his ostrich horse, dragging the pair of beasts over to a nearby bush. Once he had tied them down, he approached the group, his entire body aching harshly.

"Ah, Zuko. Took you long enough," Sokka said, leaning on his elbows as he stroked his overstuffed stomach. The fire bender shot the young man a harsh glare, one made less threatening with the distinctly exhausted expression on his face.

"You don't look so good. Maybe you ought to lie down," Katara said in her usual motherly tone. Zuko tried to wave his hand in dismissal, but found the limb held firmly to his side. He tried to speak, to say that he was fine, but he knew he wasn't. It seemed to him that palace life had made him infinitely more lazy and pampered than he had thought.

"I'm… fine…" he muttered, after taking in a few deep, energy replenishing breaths. As he came to a stop near the small campfire, he dropped to his knees before lying prone on his back, the thin blades of grass tickling the back of his neck. A cool breeze blew over the group, bringing a smile to the young Fire Lord's face as his golden eyes disappeared beneath his eyelids.

"He's probably just nervous. I mean, there's no way this visit goes as well as the first one," Toph joked, scratching between her teeth with a small fishbone, picking bits of food from the small spaces.

"Makes sense. I mean, usually girls get all upset when you just ditch them, not just start kissing you," Sokka joked, a smirk on his lips despite the cold glares he received from the girls in the group.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Katara asked, her cold indignance dropping the leer from her brother's face.

"You say that like you have a lot of experience. I hope you're not in need of one of these apology trips yourself, are you?" Suki asked, a distinct warning on her voice as the water tribesman looked in her direction. Zuko let a chuckle escape his lips at the younger boy's predicament before he caught a cool look from his girlfriend.

"She kissed you? You didn't tell me that," Mai said, the message clearly saying 'you've got some explaining to do', a message he received clearly. Slowly pulling himself into a sitting position, he went through the details of the second night with Jin, making absolutely sure to let his girlfriend know that it was over between them.

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, the raven haired young woman warmed her look as she scooted closer to the young boy, who sighed in relief and comfort as the girl lent her weight to his weary body. Despite his lack of energy, he felt much more comfortable with her soft hair brushing casually against his cheek and neck.

Sokka, however, was having far less luck, caught between his occasionally overly emotional sister, and an angry girlfriend, convinced that he had plied his skills on more women than he had let on. Toph laughed loudly as the boy tried to explain himself, Aang watching on in worry as his friend was cornered. But he was not dumb enough to try and intervene, and likely make things worse.

"So, are you ready to make your last apology tomorrow, Zuko?" the bald boy asked, his usual chipper voice shifting the attention away from the troubled water tribe warrior, and back to the young Fire Lord.

"I'm not sure. It's different when you stole something, even after a person opened up to you so easily," he said, resting his arms against his knees. He let his golden eyes fall on the small fire in the pit, watched the flames flicker and dance in the evening breeze.

"Don't worry, as long as you're sincere, I'm sure it'll work out alright. As long as you don't expect a deep, passionate kiss or anything," Toph said, unable to resist tweaking the older boy. A slight stiffening of both Zuko and Mai's bodies gave the blind girl the desire she had been seeking, and turned her focus back to listening to Sokka groveling to Suki.

"I hope so. I'd hate to have dragged you all out here for nothing," Zuko said, suddenly feeling even more nervous about seeing the sweet young girl again.

"Hey, you don't need to apologize. We're your friends, so it's our duty to have your back during hard times like these," Katara said, settling in next to Aang once she was satisfied of her brother's discomfort.

"That's right, buddy. We all owe you for those helpful fieldtrips back when you first joined us, so it's only fair we do something to pay you back," Aang said, goofy grin plastered across his face.

"Yeah, and getting to see you squirm is just an added bonus," Sokka teased, earning another warning look from his sister. Suki had satisfied herself of Sokka's innocence regarding the possibility of womanizing, but decided she would definitely have a talk with Ty Lee once they got back.

As the group made a bit more small talk around the campfire, Zuko tuned the sound out, his mind occupied with the thought of the girl he would have to face in the morning. He wanted to get it done tonight, and be done with it, but he knew that waiting until daylight would lessen the chances of being attacked for being a burglar or some other such thing.

The others gradually found their way into the land of slumber, Zuko propping his head up with his hands. Glancing around the small clearing in the trees, he smiled at the careless, easy way they managed to sleep. It was so strange, to just be camping out under the stars after spending so long crying out against just such an event.

Slowly the difficulties of traveling such a long distance on ostrich horse caught up with him, and Zuko found himself dozing off in the clearing, Mai wrapped snugly in her crimson sleeping bag, while Zuko was the only one lying on the bare grass. He found the feeling more comfortable, a smile crossing his face as the soft blades brushed against his skin.

He was awoken sometime later by a soft glow, almost as though the moon itself had taken up residence over the small group. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he focused on the source of the odd light, seemingly in the shape of a person. Flowing white robes encircled the figure, and he got a strange sense of familiarity, as though he had seen such a person once before. But surely he would have remembered meeting a glowing person.

An unbidden groan escaped his lips as he stretched his legs outwards, the light bathed figure turning towards him. If he had not known better, it would have looked like the figure was almost… embarrassed. As he gazed at the long, flowing white hair and soft features, his golden eyes shot open with recognition.

This was that girl Sokka had carried a torch for all those months ago, Yue. The woman who had taken the position of the Moon Spirit, watching over all the people in the world from an impossibly high perch.

He watched as Yue hurried out of the clearing, a faint tint of pink on her cheeks as she turned away. Something compelled him to follow, shooting to his feet as he gave chase, a word he did not like using. The spirit made her way to a small river, resting just at the edge of the flowing water.

"You're Yue, aren't you?" he asked, coming to a stop a short distance behind the young woman. As she turned towards him, he realized why it was that Sokka had fallen for the girl. Everything about her screamed elegance and beauty, from the pure white of her hair to the penetrating blue of her eyes. The glow she emanated gave a feeling of calm, and Zuko wondered whether there was anything he could say to the Moon Spirit, of all things. After a moment of thought, he took the tone of his little "vacation" and said the two words that seemed to describe his life.

"I'm sorry," he answered the silent question from the young spirit, his head bowing in guilt and shame. For a moment the girl did not speak, only staring at the messy head of hair that fell over the young man's features.

"No, Fire Lord Zuko, there is nothing you need to apologize for," the voice was soft and sweet, like the sweetest candy to his ears. Looking up, he noticed the bright, all knowing smile gracing her lips, and he gulped on the lump on his throat.

"But if it weren't for me, then maybe you wouldn't be-" he stopped at the soft shaking of the young woman's head, her face full of compassion and seeming understanding of his feelings of guilt.

"No, you are not at fault for the outcome. Zhao was the one who killed the spirit, forcing me to live up to my destiny. You have made many mistakes, and have caused suffering to some who you have met. But the Spirits can see into your soul, and you are a good, kind man. You helped restore balance where your forebears sought to rend balance asunder."

The girl seemed to reassure each worry he held in his heart, the pressure lightening on his very soul with each kind word spoken to him. As the girl finished her small speech, Zuko made his way to the river, settling upon a large rock near the edge of the rushing water. The current was not swift or dangerous, and so the young man set his feet dangling in the cool water.

"I guess you came to check on Sokka?" he asked directly, casting a sideways glance at the young woman. The unmistakable look of loss and pain on her face sent his heart racing, the guilt coming unbidden back into his chest.

"As a Spirit, I watch over the whole world, but somehow, I always find myself taking a special interest in what Sokka's doing. Not very befitting of a Moon Spirit, is it?" the girl asked, seemingly seeking Zuko's advice on the matter. He thought back to what he and Sokka had talked about all those months ago now, and wondered if the young Spirit knew how much impact she had had on the Water warrior.

"I don't know about being a spirit, or anything like that. But you were a human, before being a spirit. You can't help where your heart pulls you, and I'm sure the world will not go into complete chaos just because you check up on an old crush now and then," Zuko said, giving the girl a gentle smile as he spoke.

"I suppose you're right. But it is strange. My whole life, there was this war looming over every decision, every interaction, and now it's over. Thank you, Zuko," the girl said, making her way towards the young Fire Lord, who continued to smile at her.

As the time passed, Zuko found spending time with the Moon Spirit was quite enjoyable, her voice and the aura of tranquility surrounding her giving him a sense of peace and calm. But before long, it came time for Yue to return to her duties as the Moon Spirit, her mood having been lifted a bit by her time with the young Fire Lord.

"Thank you again, Fire Lord Zuko, for keeping me company. It was quite… enjoyable," the girl said, and Zuko thought he caught a faint blush on the girl's cheeks. Shaking the thought from his mind, he smiled assuringly at the girl.

"It was good to really get to meet you. You really do mean a lot to the meathead. Are you sure you don't want to speak with him?" Zuko asked, watching as the white clad spirit shook her head gently, the snow white locks swaying slowly as she did.

"No, if I talked to him, things would just be too hard. But, if it is alright, I would not mind speaking with you again in the future," the girl said, to which Zuko simply nodded, wondering how Sokka would handle such a development.

"Anything I can do to make up for what my people have done, I am more than glad to do it. But if you are to visit me again, just call me Zuko. I don't need my friends using my title, even if the whole rest of the world does," Zuko said somewhat jokingly, earning a light giggle from the girl.

"Then, may the Spirits watch over you… Zuko," the girl said, a sweet, distinctly feminine tone to her voice in reference to the young man.

"It'll be nice having one watching over me, instead of making things harder," the young man said somewhat bitterly, Yue smiling as she approached the one time Prince of the Fire Nation, now its sole sovereign.

"The Spirits will always watch over those who keep peace in the world," the girl said, before placing a soft kiss on the boy's cheek. Zuko's eyes widened in surprise as the girl pulled back, her flowing white hair causing her blue eyes to stand out more distinctly.

That thought still in his mind, he felt a hard nudge in his side, his eyes filling with the light of the morning Sun. Groaning in discomfort at the gesture, he felt another nudge, this time a bit more forcefully. Before another one could hit him in the side, he grabbed Sokka's arm, flipping him onto his back a good distance away.

"God, I'm up. Can't a guy sleep around here?" he said in a grumpy voice. The visions of the young Moon Spirit filling his mind, he brought his right hand to his scarred cheek, wondering if it had all been a dream.

"So, are you ready for your big day?" Aang asked the older boy, his brows furrowing a bit as he caught the look of seeming confusion on the young man's face.

"You alright, Zuko? Does the scar hurt?" Katara asked, her hands automatically falling to her water pouch at her waist, pulling a bit out to coat her hands. Zuko waved the girl off as he came back to attention, the vision still spinning in his head.

"No, I'm fine. I just had a weird dream," he said, an unfortunate choice of words for one trying to escape any scrutiny.

"Oh, what kind of dream? Some crazy, Fire Nation taking over the world kind of thing? Or maybe dreaming of your little sweetheart, Jin?" Sokka said teasingly, causing Zuko to glare at the younger boy.

"I've told you, me and Jin are just friends…"

"Yeah, friends who share passionate kisses," the dark skinned boy teased again, finding a perverse sort of pleasure in teasing the usually moody fire bender. After taking a calming breath, Zuko smirked at the young boy. He hadn't wanted to get into it, but Sokka was asking for it.

"Actually, it wasn't anything like that. I dreamt that I was awoken in the middle of the night by a weird glow," he began, noting the looks of interest on the faces of the others in the group.

"What kind of weird glow?" Aang asked, having a bad feeling that emanated from the malicious smirk on the older boy's face.

"You know, kind of like the moon, but a lot closer," Zuko said, watching as Aang's grey eyes shot open, the boy slowly working his way towards his girlfriend, away from the likely soon to be angry Sokka.

"Like the moon? So, what, it was a Spirit or something?" Sokka asked, stroking his chin as he tried to think of what Spirit the young Fire Lord would see in a dream. Aang gave a silent motion for Zuko not to continue, but it was ignored.

"Well, when I opened my eyes, there was this really pretty girl with white hair standing over there," he said, pointing towards where Sokka's sleeping bag had been set. Katara and Aang both watched as Sokka's jaw nearly hit the floor, seemingly in a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"You mean, you saw Yue in your dream?" Sokka asked, the old pain of losing the girl that he had lost surfacing once again. He rushed forward, grabbing the gold collar of the older boy, a near frantic look on his face.

"Yeah. She seemed kind of lonely, so we talked a little. She is a really nice girl, and she really did miss you. I think she wanted to talk to you, but thought it would be too hard," Zuko said, resting his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. Sokka looked up at Zuko in disbelief, wondering if it were a dream or something else.

"Are you sure it was a dream?" Aang asked, his own memory of meeting the young woman after becoming the Moon Spirit flashing through his mind.

"I don't know. I assumed it was, since she-" Zuko stopped himself before getting to the last part, cursing his own stupidity at the insistent look on the younger boy's face.

"What happened?" Sokka asked, more frantically than he had intended his voice to sound. Figuring there was no getting around it, Zuko gripped the boy's arms at the wrist, intent on keeping him from hitting him.

"She… kissed me on the cheek," Zuko said, backing away at the incredulous look of shock on the boy's face.

"She kissed you!?" he shouted, not wanting to believe it for even an instant.

"Wow, someone's got the touch with the ladies," Toph said, jabbing at both Sokka and Zuko in the situation. Mai had figured it was something beyond Zuko's control, and so did not react as strongly.

"Wow, Mai, you seem to be taking this pretty easy," Suki suggested, her right hand gripping Sokka's ear tightly as she dragged him away from the young Fire Lord. The usually emotionless Mai simply shrugged before making her way towards the small river to clean up.

"It's not quite the same as with that Earth Kingdom tramp. I mean, there's no relationship with a Spirit. Probably just thanking him for ending the war, or something," Mai suggested, Zuko's golden eyes flashing at the words.

Zuko would always remember that as the day that he thought Mai learned how to read his mind, a thought that scared him for a long time afterwards. Once the gang managed to settle things down, they made their way towards the small town, delighting at the simple comfort it seemed to offer.

The dark haired boy sat atop one of the ostrich horses, Mai perched on the saddle along with him, clutching tightly at his body. He did not mind the closeness at all, and chuckled a bit as he recalled the girl's steadfast refusal to board the flying bison again. Sokka had taken position on the other ostrich horse, likely having an ulterior motive. It came to light as he closed the distance between himself and Zuko, pulling up to his right as they rode down the wide avenue.

"Zuko, did you mean that stuff back there?"

"What stuff?"

"That Yue, you know, missed me and stuff?" Sokka asked, a bit nervous, something Zuko had only seldom seen the boy exhibit.

"Yeah. Like I said, it might have been a dream, but she was definitely watching over you before I woke up. I could tell you mean a lot to her, just like she does to you," Zuko explained, watching as the younger boy cheered up a bit, a sad smile crossing his face.

"I wish she would have talked to me," the boy mumbled, before offering a word of thanks to the Fire Lord.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'm sure she will, one of these days," Zuko said, trying his best to reassure the younger boy. Sokka seemed to smile a bit at the thought, nodding his head as they approached a building, set apart from the rest of the village by its nice design.

As Zuko pulled his mount to a stop, he found himself swallowing another lump in his throat, nerves jangling inside his stomach. He calmed down a bit as Mai grasped his arm, causing his golden eyes to shift towards her soft features.

"It'll be alright, Zuko. You just have to apologize, give her the ostrich horses, then we can be going back to the Fire Nation," Mai said, a tone he couldn't quite pin down echoing on her voice. It was almost like dread, or jealousy, a distinct desire to distance herself, and hence Zuko, from the women he had seemingly affected so immensely.

"Yeah, that'll be great," Zuko agreed, more thinking how pleasant it would be to get away from Sokka and Toph's incessant teasing. Taking a deep breath, he leapt from the ostrich horse, coming up to the front door of the small but comfortable hospital. Before he could even knock, the door opened quickly, a smaller figure bumping into the young Fire Lord.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was just in a hurry and," the girl's voice trailed off as her brown eyes rested on the person she had bumped into. The wide smile dropped as she averted her gaze, a look of sadness and hurt on her face. The rest of the group came up slowly behind Zuko, gathering around at the mild spectacle.

"Wow, Zuko, you should be more careful. It's not nice to just go around bumping into people," Toph teased, her brows rising in curiosity at the tension from the young girl resting on the ground.

"Zuko?" she asked simply, Toph mentally slapping her forehead for not thinking that he had been using the alias Lee for such a long time. "You mean, like Fire Lord Zuko?" the girl asked again, her brown eyes once again resting on the young man.

"Yes. My name is not Lee, Song. It is Zuko. I came here to apologize, uh, to you," he said somewhat sheepishly, thrown off by the hurt, mildly scared expression on the girl's face. Closing his eyes for a moment, Zuko gathered his thoughts a bit as he considered what he could do.

"I wanted to apologize for lying to you, Song, and for taking your ostrich horse," he said, bowing his head in apology to the young girl. Her look of fear seemed to vanish as she took his words in, seemingly processing them carefully.

"How could I have missed it," she said, referring to the distinctive scar marking the left side of his face.

"I am sorry. But, I brought a pair of ostrich horses with me, in hopes that they can at least partially make up for the loss of yours," he said, an eager sadness on his voice as he stared at the brown wood marking the front portion of the hospital. The girl thought for what seemed an eternity, none of the others in the group wanting to speak.

After a moment of thought, the girl looked into the young man's fiery golden eyes, seemingly searching his soul for the sincerity that seemed to drip from his every word. This man seemed different from the angry, touchy young man she had met so long ago, and found it hard to just believe him at face value.

But she also knew, as many others had found out, that Fire Lord Zuko was a completely different person than his father or sister. He was known far and wide as a fair, compassionate ruler, one who had stopped the hundred years' war, with the help of the Avatar. The girl smiled as she looked from the young man to his group of friends, figuring that they would not come along with a difficult case.

"Alright, I guess I can forgive you," she said sweetly, her bright smile perking the young man up just a bit. "But, two ostrich horses are not enough. You will have to help me out at the hospital for a day before I call it even," the girl said, her brown eyes nearly sparkling with sincerity.

"You mean, you want me to play doctor? But I don't know anything about that kind of stuff. That's why me and my uncle were in so much trouble back then," Zuko said, hoping that the girl would reconsider the condition.

"Don't worry. I won't have you do anything on your own, I'll give you tips on what to do, like how to improve your bedside manner," she said, grasping the boy's hand as she pulled herself into a standing position.

"Now, help me get these in the barn, and we can start your service," Song said, greeting the members of the Avatar's group as she passed the young man. Zuko groaned inwardly at the ordeal he was about to endure.

He had gotten the right idea with Lee, just leave the gift and depart. This was going to be embarrassing, and he had a feeling the others would hang around long enough to make it unfortunately memorable.

* * *

**Ah, Zuko should have known he wouldn't be so lucky. Next time will be the Zuko x Song scenes, and I will try and make it a bit longer than previous chapters since I got distracted in this chapter. Don't know where the Zuko x Yue bit came in, but hopefully it didn't seem too forced. Just thought it would be fun to put in. Anyway, look forward to the Song x Zuko next time, followed by a solid Jinko story. Love that pairing. Also, looking for a Jinko pic I could use for my avatar, anyone can help? Until next time, people.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 06: Beautiful Song**

**Rating: K**

**The last chapter of this little ride. Not entirely satisfied with it, but I will definitely do another Song x Zuo story at some point. I hope you have all enjoyed this short little burn through the Earth Kigndom, as Zuko seeks forgiveness from the people he hurt. Thoughts always welcome. Hope you enjoy the last chapter of this little story.

* * *

**

"Oww! What the hell are you doing?" a loud, middle-aged man's voice sounded throughout the large room. The gang turned their attention from their little table off to the side towards the source of the noise, smiles gracing their faces at the flustered look that adorned that of their friend.

"I'm sorry. I'm new at this," Zuko muttered, bowing in apology to the man, whose leg he had wrapped rather poorly. The long mane of black hair swayed a bit as he turned his head away from the Fire Lord, a click of his tongue acknowledging the earnest apology.

"I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself," Suki said in a low whisper, leaning in towards the rest of the group. Each nodded in turn as they watched the young man undo the white bandages on the large right leg of one of the local farmers, a large gash showing as it peeled away.

"You're telling me. I always thought he was only good at fighting, but he picks things up pretty quickly," Aang said, his eyes dancing with enjoyment as he watched the young man hurriedly try and fix the dressings on the fresh wound.

"Well, he doesn't have the natural healing powers of a water bender, so it's probably a good thing he is learning some first aid," Katara said, watching as Zuko conversed subtly with the older gentleman, the wrapping seemingly going on more smoothly with the second attempt.

"That's true. The guy seems kind of clumsy at times, so I'm surprised he hasn't gotten hurt more often," Toph said, propping her feet up on a nearby chair as she leaned back, hands held loosely behind her head.

"I bet his uncle will be really proud of him," Suki added, each again nodding at the simple statement. They knew that Iroh was proud of all that Zuko had accomplished, a feeling he never failed to express to the boy. But anything he could learn to further increase his independence and ability to take care of himself was always welcomed.

"I still can't believe that the Fire Lord is actually treating injuries in a hospital. I would have thought a royal like that would find a task such as this too menial," Song voiced, her hands clasped together as they rested in her lap.

"That's Zuko for you. He's all crazy about honor and stuff, so it's not surprising he would offer to help like that," Sokka said, his elbows propped atop the upper edge of the seat he occupied.

"But I didn't expect him to try and take over for me. It is a relief, but it worries me all the same," the girl said softly, her face clearly showing her worry over the matter of Zuko taking care of all the patients for one day.

"Well, if he messes up something really bad, or he's about to give one of the patients something dangerous, you can just jump in and warn him," Sokka said, half jokingly as he imagined the Fire Lord Zuko giving a sick patient something poisonous.

"I suppose that's true," Song said, her brown eyes resting on the young Fire Lord. She felt a smile creep onto her pink lips as Zuko smiled at his patient. The older man had a wide grin on his face as he clasped the fire bender's shoulder. Grabbing a crutch, Zuko handed it to the man, waving as he made his way out of the hospital.

"He is getting the hang of it already. It's pretty impressive, considering that you only taught him a little bit before he got started," Katara said, taking a sip of the warm green tea that had been offered by Song's gracious mother.

"As long as it's just wrapping bandages and things like that, it shouldn't be a problem," Song said, watching as Zuko shuffled to the next patient in line. A small cut on a young girl's finger needed a couple of stitches and clean bandages. The young man looked over the cut before turning to the brunette, mouthing the words 'help me'.

"She seems to be enjoying this," Suki said as Song headed over towards Zuko, hoping to help him with the stitches the girl would need. The others watched the young girl push Zuko out of the way, carefully looking over the cut with the fire bender looking over her right shoulder.

"Well, of course she is. It's not everyday that you get offered a day of mostly relaxing by the Fire Lord taking care of your duties," Katara said, unable to prevent a slight smile from forming on her pink lips.

"That's true," Sokka chimed in, surprised that Zuko was as competent with even simple things like bandaging opened wounds and setting breaks.

"Helps that he's actually good at stuff like that, unlike some people," Katara jabbed at her brother, the smirk on her face widening as he started to fume.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you could never handle something like this, since you can't even stitch up your own pants," the water bender said, taking another sip from the warm ceramic cup of tea.

"I could if I felt like it. It's just that, sewing is more of a chick thing," Sokka said, his old sexist tendencies showing up once again. He had made impressive progress in that regard, but you truly can't teach an old dog new tricks.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Suki said on behalf of the other girls at the table, each looking to Sokka with a hint of anger. The dark skinned boy tried to think of something smooth and effective to say, but opted instead for simply lowering his head and apologizing.

"You're really good at this," Zuko said as he watched the needle work its way underneath the small bits of skin on the little girl's finger. Song smiled, pulling the needle back through the soft flesh, little spots of blood seeping out through the wound.

"It takes practice. I'm sure you could handle it if you tried, but I'm glad you didn't try to handle it on your own," she said, snapping off the thread after putting the pair of stitches in the little girl's finger.

"I don't know. I don't like dealing with this kind of stuff, usually," Zuko admitted, noticing a look of surprise on Song's face. "Any time I got messed up, it was my uncle or the healers that handled things. I never did things like this on my own," he continued, leaning against the table where Song was working.

"That's a surprise. You seem very independent to me," she said, smiling as she sent the girl back towards her mother near the entrance to the hospital. She watched them bow in gratitude for her help, before leaving the reasonably comfortable structure.

"Out of necessity, and me being an idiot for so long," Zuko said, bitterness seeping into his voice as he recalled all his difficulties during his travels in the Earth Kingdom. He had never been one to handle things on his own, the life of a pampered Prince making him ignorant to all ways of living outside of a palace.

"You're not an idiot," Song said, placing her hand atop his, her soft warmth reassuring him. He winced a bit at the distinct clearing of a throat, his golden eyes flashing over to Mai, who seemed to be watching him like a hawk. Pulling his hand slowly away from the girl in front of him, he turned back towards the large room, curious as to what he should do next.

"I used to be. But, it helped make me who I am today," he said, a smile growing on his lips as he compared the person he had become to who he used to be. "It's a weird thing to think about, really," he chuckled a bit, before turning his eyes to the young healer girl.

"Everyone does things they regret when they're desperate," she supplied helpfully, nodding her head in the direction of what he assumed was his next patient. With a heavy sigh and a grudging nod of his head, Zuko made his way to the other end of the hospital room, guiding the new patient towards a small table.

Song made her way back to where the Avatar's group was still sitting, raising a brow in curiosity at the looks being sent towards the young Water Tribe warrior. "Is something wrong with him?" she asked as she took her seat between Aang and Mai, her brown eyes glittering with concern as she looked at the warrior.

"Oh, it's nothing you can help with. He's just got a bad case of 'foot in mouth' disease," Suki said jokingly, Sokka's low growl the only response he gave to the barb.

"Yeah, unless you're some kind of miracle worker, I don't think you can cure being an idiot, can you?" Katara said, realizing why Sokka found teasing people so enjoyable. Granted, she knew that if he ever spoke that way to her, she would put him in his place, but she enjoyed teasing the older boy. He was, after all, an incurable idiot.

"You all seem to get along so well together," Song said, a wistful sort of look on her face as she looked the group over, her words bringing their attention towards her. Her face fell a bit as she looked down at the table in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Mai asked, feeling some recognition at the look on the girl's face.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just, this is such a small village, and there are not a lot of people my own age, so I've never gotten a chance to just hang out and talk with people," she said sadly, her situation reminding Mai very much of growing up in the Fire Nation.

"I know what that's like," Mai said simply, thinking back on her own oddly lonely childhood. Strange how alone one can feel around the demented Princess of the Fire Nation and her air headed friend.

"I can't imagine how uncomfortable it would be growing up with Azula," Katara said, murmurs of agreement sounding from the others in the group, shudders coursing through them at the thought of the twisted young woman.

"You grew up with Princess Azula? Is she really so bad?" Song asked innocently, having imagined that there was a chance she was something like her brother. The group hesitated to tell the girl too much about the royal family, and instead looked to Mai.

"Let's just say that she takes more after their dad than their mom," the pale young woman said simply, a smile gracing her lips as she remembered how kind and sweet Zuko's mother was when dealing with anyone. She was the kind of person she wished had been her own mother, the kind anyone would not mind as their mom.

"That is too bad. It is not good when family doesn't get along," Song said, getting a feeling that there was a strain in the relationship between the royal siblings. She wondered silently if she should ask Zuko about it at a later time. Talking about things like family made her wonder what had happened to her own father, a thought that brought a sad look to her face.

As the group continued to talk, passing the time while he worked, Zuko watched them out of the corner of his eyes, wondering just what they might be talking about. He figured that it involved him in some way. Not that he was arrogant, but he knew that his life provided plenty of kindling for conversation fodder. As he finished bandaging the newest patient, he smiled graciously, earning a little blush from the young girl.

Once the girl had left, he looked around the hospital's large room, finding it oddly quiet. He figured that was a good thing, as it meant that not many people were getting injured. Taking a seat on the table he had been working at, he took a moment to catch his breath. Letting his golden eyes fall on the young brunette, he found a new respect for the young girl.

He had always shied away from things like open wounds, and treating cuts and other things that were better left to professionals. But this girl, despite her age, was always willing to offer her help to whoever needed it, dealing with things from cuts and broken bones to poisons, like when he and his uncle had ambled into the town seeking refuge from the crazy Azula.

After a few hours, and only a few more patients, the Sun began to retreat into the distant horizon, coating the world below in the distinct colorings of night. Feeling oddly tired after his long day, Zuko passed up Song's offer of dinner, an offer that Sokka found no trouble accepting. Especially when Song brought up the prospect of roast duck. Zuko groaned internally as he lamented how similar Sokka and his uncle were in respect to their stomachs.

Not feeling up for dinner, Zuko instead made his way outside of the small building, plopping down next to one of the wooden pillars. Leaning up against it for support, he sighed in relief, feeling the tension and exhaustion pass through his body and out into the cooling night air.

"You sure worked hard today," Mai's even, calm voice rang pleasantly in his ears as she sat down next to him, pulling her legs elegantly beneath her body as she leaned against him subtly for support.

"Yeah, I guess. I can't believe anyone does this kind of thing every day," he said, meeting eyes with his lovely girlfriend. The girl smiled as she thought of all the things he had done on such a short trip, wondering just when it was that the selfish, awkward Zuko had given way to the mature, selfless young man who was the regent of the most powerful nation in the world.

"I bet you could handle it if you wanted to," Mai said, wondering if there was anything that Zuko couldn't handle with his new temperament.

"Not that I would want to. I have a new respect for healers of all types, but I could never do what they do," he said, bringing his left hand up to the spot on his chest where Azula's lighting had come so close to snuffing out his life.

"Zuko…" Mai said simply, resting her hand atop his as she nestled her head against his shoulder, feeling his cheek press against the top of her head. The pair sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until another person came to visit the young Fire Lord.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you two were, um, sorry," Song said, a little distress in her voice. The pair looked to her then back at one another, Zuko's eyes wordlessly expressing his wishes to the young woman.

"Alright, I'll give you two a minute alone, but you better not try anything," Mai cautioned, Zuko's face breaking into a cold sweat at the prospect. He dumbly nodded as Mai smiled, pulling herself to her feet before heading into the house. Once she was out of sight, Zuko sighed in relief, feeling the life return to his body after her threat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt or anything," Song apologized once again, bowing respectfully as she took the seat left open by Mai's departure. Zuko found a smile crossing his lips, this time a more rueful, apologetic kind of smile.

"This reminds me of that first time we met," he said cautiously, casting a sideways glance at the young girl sitting to his right. The girl seemed to recall the memory as well, a similar look crossing her own lips at the thought.

"Yes, this is just like that," she said, a giggle escaping her lips at the memory. "At least this time, I know who you really are," she said, letting her gaze shift up towards the bright moon, its soft glow encompassing the pair. Zuko thought for a moment that maybe the Spirit of the Moon was trying to help him with the scene, but shook the thought off. Surely such an important spirit had better things to do than make a cozy scene with a girl he would likely never see again.

"I'm sorry," he said, his own gaze falling on the small patch of grass in front of him, his hands clasping together in his lap as he recalled stealing the trusting girl's ostrich horse.

"I told you, it's already in the past. You have more than made up for it, with your gifts and all your help today," she said, giggling at the boy's innocent nature. It was not something one would have associated with the son of a monster like Ozai.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?" she asked, her soft chocolate brown eyes falling on the moonlit form of the young fire bender, her breath catching just a bit at the sight.

"Act the way you do. You are so trusting, and sweet and caring, even to one who has wronged you in the past. You're really strong," he said, his lips pulling into an appreciative smile, the skin on his cheeks not moving at the gesture.

"It's just the way I was raised. It doesn't help to be mean and distrustful in my profession," she responded simply, smiling genuinely at the young man. She was suddenly quite aware of their positioning, his body's warmth passing over her even with the small space between them. The girl had little experience with boys of her own age, and so she felt doubly self conscious.

"Something wrong?" Zuko asked, noticing a tension in the girl's body. Her speech had not picked up, and she seemed to get oddly quiet. His words seemed to break her from some sort of trance, her eyes flashing open as she looked away from him.

"Oh, nothing, I guess I'm just nervous," she said, a darker blush staining her cheeks visible in the pale moonlight.

"Why? You didn't seem nervous earlier," he said, naïve as usual to the mind of the women around him. He wondered to himself if he would ever understand them.

"It's nothing," Song lied, not wanting to go into what she was feeling, as she was not sure about it herself. She had been so angry and hurt by what "Lee" had done all those months ago, but now that she had gotten to know Zuko, she realized that he was a good person, who had made some mistakes in his life.

"Um, Song, can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want, but, uh, I would like it if you would tell me," Zuko stumbled, his locks of hair falling across his eyes as he shifted his gaze around the open courtyard.

"Sure, what is it?" she asked, barely stifling a giggle at the awkward nature of his… request.

"What happened to your father?" he asked, chancing a look back at the young girl. He saw the look of pain flash across her face, and he wondered if he had asked something too troublesome of the girl.

"I don't know. A long time ago, he was taken in a Fire Nation raid, and I have not seen him since then," she said, the sadness coating her words. Zuko winced as he imagined how he might have reacted to see his own family broken apart by such a thing, the guilt rising up in his chest once again.

"I'm sorry. So you have no idea what happened to him?" he asked, thinking if there was something else he could do for the girl. He wished that all his apologies went as smoothly as they had gone with Jin, a thought that brought a sly grin to his face. Shaking the thought of the girl from Ba Sing Se out of his mind, he turned towards Song once again, watching as the moon's glow played off of her smooth skin.

"No. I just assume he was taken to a Fire Nation prison," she said, shaking her head as she tried not to think about what hardships her father may have suffered.

"Hmm. I think I can help," Zuko offered quickly, an idea coming to him.

"What do you mean?" she asked, not wanting to let her hopes get up too high.

"Well, if he was held as a prisoner of war, he should have been released when the war ended, but maybe he was just sent to a regular prison. If I knew his name, I could be sure he gets released," Zuko said, turning to squarely face the young girl. He caught the look of hope in the girl's brown eyes, conflicting with another emotion.

"Oh my, you could really do that?" she asked, feeling a bit guilty at the boy's generosity, knowing that there was nothing she could really do in return.

"I can't make any promises, but if he is still alive, then I will be sure he gets back to you," Zuko said, his eyes flashing open as the girl gently wrapped her arms around his strong frame, tears soaking through the thin material of his red shirt as her face buried against his shoulder.

"You are being far too kind, Zuko. I cannot begin to repay you for all your kindness. One ostrich horse cannot make up for it," she cried, making Zuko feel a bit guilty. Did this girl really expect that he wanted anything from her?

"Song, it's alright. All I want is your forgiveness," he said simply, gently pushing the girl away from him. "We all have to do what we are able, and if I am able to bring your father back to you, then it is my duty to do it," he explained, a shy look crossing his face at the pure emotion the girl was pouring out to him.

"Even still, it is no small thing. There must be something I can do to repay such kindness," she said, watching as he seemed to fall into thought for a moment. After a minute, his eyes flashed with an idea.

"I know. My uncle truly enjoyed your mother's roast duck. If you could send him some, then we could call it even," he said, smiling confidently as he turned his gaze back towards the pale moon high in the sky.

"A-are you sure? Something so simple," she said, catching the look in his eyes that indicated that the matter was closed. She let her lips close, a gracious smile appearing on her soft features as she joined him in gazing at the moon.

"The moon is really beautiful tonight," Zuko said in contemplation, his eyes quirking a bit as the light seemed to brighten for a moment. The change went unnoticed by the girl to his right, but he held a silent smile as he knew it could just be the Spirit reacting to a compliment.

"Mai is a lucky woman," Song said, drawing Zuko's intense gaze back towards her.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, his brows knitting together in confusion at her words.

"It's nothing. Just as long as she knows that," Song said cryptically, heightening Zuko's confusion. "But, if she is not careful, I am sure some young woman would just come along and snatch you away," she added, partially seriously. The exasperated sigh from the young man allowed her to giggle, lightening the mood after he had offered her so much help.

"I guess that's something to worry about. But, Mai's the one for me, no matter how many other great girls are out there," Zuko said, his mind passing from Mai to the girls he had met on this little trip, from Jin to the Moon Spirit Yue and now Song. He wondered how he could have affected so many people.

"So, are you feeling better? I bet there is still some food left," Song said, quirking a brow as she looked to the young Fire Lord.

"I somehow doubt it. Sokka eats almost as much as my uncle, but that's alright. I'd just like to relax a bit for now," Zuko said, leaning more heavily against the post behind him, his eyes beginning to close involuntarily.

"Well, you did work pretty hard today. I hope you don't mind if I keep you company," she whispered, her eyes opening as she felt a weight press against his side. Turning her gaze towards him, the soft browns narrowed a bit as a smile graced her lips. "Ah, how rude of you," she said jokingly, watching the patch of dark brown hair fall over her white clad shoulder.

The two remained like that, until Mai arrived a half hour later, a distinctly different tone of red on her cheeks as she pulled the surprised fire bender away from Song. Zuko found himself explaining something he wasn't aware had happened, and was thankful that Song managed to add her own explanation to the event. After an hour explaining himself, things settled down, and Zuko accompanied Mai back to their room, wincing as he imagined he was in for more lecturing.

The next morning, Zuko slowly made his way out of the room he and Mai had shared, dark rings under his eyes. The young woman had not allowed him a wink of sleep, between a bout of lecturing, which he had expected, and a few rounds of lovemaking, which he had not been expecting. It seemed to him that she was intent on proving her feminine charms to him, which she had not needed to. Not that he would be complaining about it.

The group all met up for breakfast at Song's house, not entirely wanting to leave the comfortable little village. Sokka in particular was finding it difficult to leave, with the abundance of fine meats around for him to inhale. But as it came time to leave, Suki dragged the boy back to Appa, a trail of drool marking the path as he cried out his hunger for the meat.

"So, I guess this is goodbye," Song said as she and Zuko were left with a moment alone together. Zuko had a sneaking suspicion that Mai would be keeping an eye on him from the saddle of the flying bison, a thought that brought a smile to his face in the morning's sun.

"Yeah."

"At least I get to say goodbye this time," she said, jabbing at the way he had parted her company on their previous encounter.

"Hey, how many times can I apologize?" he asked jokingly, knowing the girl was only having a little fun at his expense. The two shared a quick laugh before they wrapped their arms around one another, giving a warm hug in parting as friends.

"Will I ever see you again?" she asked as he pulled away, a hint of sadness in her eyes at the thought of this being their last meeting. He thought for a moment, before offering the girl a gentle smile.

"Sure. Maybe you can teach me more about herbs and stuff. My uncle is helpless when it comes to anything but tea," he joked, knowing that his uncle was quite knowledgeable about many things, but he knew she would get the idea.

"Yeah, just tell him not to eat any poisonous plants," Song said in return, clasping her hands together behind her back.

"I've told him a million times, but he doesn't listen. He's always looking for good teas he can try and make."

"So he's a bit stubborn? Sounds like someone else I know," she added, smiling as he rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye. Take care of yourself, Song. And I promise, I'll try my best to find your father," he said, offering her the traditional Fire Nation salute as a sort of seal of his promise.

"I will be looking forward to your next visit," she offered, watching as he turned towards the area where the rest of the Avatar's group was waiting. As he leapt into the large saddle, the girl let her hands rest atop her beating heart, hoping the next visit would not be so distant.

She watched as the large animal sailed into the daytime sky, off towards Ba Sing Se, feeling a strange sensation settle in her chest. It was almost like an empty feeling, but warm at the same time. The girl sighed as she turned back towards the hospital, ready for another day's work. She would have to learn more if she were to teach the Fire Lord properly.

"So, you feel better now, Zuko?" Katara asked as they sailed through the air, wind whipping all around them as the bison strode through the bright blue sky.

"Yeah, I do. I don't know if I could have done this without all your help, so thanks," he offered, giving Mai's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Ah, no need to get all sappy on us. At least this horrible trip is over," Toph said, her blind eyes closed against the whipping winds around them.

"It wasn't that bad. We got to eat some tasty meat, and see Zuko embarrass himself, even though his little girlfriends both turned out to be really cute," Sokka said, his voice turning to a mutter by the end of it.

"I just think it's sweet that you made it up to those girls, Zuko," Suki said, catching the subtle nod of the head of the young fire bender.

"Hey, we all have to do what we can do. It's not like I'm the only one who ever had to apologize for doing something wrong," Zuko said, shrugging his shoulders as he looked off in the direction they were flying.

It had proven to be a pretty interesting trip for the young Fire Lord. He had set things right with the people he had wronged most directly, and had gotten a chance to meet the Moon Spirit. As he let the soft scent of Mai's perfume fill his nostrils, the young man let a sigh pass through his lips.

It had been a productive trip, if one he wouldn't necessarily want to duplicate. For now, he was just looking forward to spending some time in the palace with the lovely Mai. He just hoped that he didn't get too lazy relaxing.

* * *

**And so, we bring this story to a close. So, what did you all think of this one? Next update will be a Jinko story, as it has become my favorite pairing. I seem to like any pairing that involves Zuko and one of the females from the series. If only there were more of them. Oh well. Guess I will just have to do my small part to increase the number of stories for the odd pairings. First will be Jinko (the story spun off of the canonical comic 'Going Home') then oneshots (probably, might be solid stories) for Zue (Zuko x Yue) and Zuko x Suki. Brain is going crazy thinking of pairings. Anyone has an idea for what I could call my Jinko story, feel free to run them by me. Until next time, people.**

**Also, as a side note, I would like to express my joy at the United States' soccer team taking down Spain yesterday. Seeing as how the next match would probably be against Brazil, I'll just say 'Go US!'  
**


End file.
